Winter's Leftovers: Slaw

Continuing on the theme of raw(-ish) food--Red Cabbage & Winter Root Slaw. I qualify the "raw" label, because I have no desire whatsoever to follow a strict raw eating style, so I am far from being a stickler about things like mustard. Is spicy brown mustard raw?--I doubt it. But as the weather has been warming up and its no longer dark by 5:30 in the evenings, I've been fancying more fresh vegetables and such. Even though it isn't winter, we (here in New York, unlike you smug California people) still have a ways to wait for things like tomatoes and other nice salad sorts of produce. Anyway, it seemed more fun to make a salad out of vegetables typically neglected for such purposes. Red cabbage, golden beets, and parnips tossed in a Balsamic-Maple-Mustard Dressing turned out pretty delicious. Here's the recipe:

Red Cabbage & Winter Root Slaw

1/2 head red cabbage, shredded
2 golden beets, peeled and grated
1 small parsnip, peeled and grated
1/4-1/2 red onion thinly sliced
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp spicy brown mustard
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tbsp canola oil
dash salt
freshly ground black pepper

Throw all the vegetables together in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, canola oil, and season with salt and pepper. Pour over salad and toss.*

Make about 4 servings as a side.


*The photo at the beginning of the post shows the salad before dressing; the colors get a bit more muddied with you toss everything together with the dressing. It will keep for several days in the fridge this way. Alternately, you could plate and drizzle each serving with the dressing.