Veggies! Part Three: Pink Horsey Slaw

Pink Horsey Slaw

This is the last installment of the Veggies! series, although this is certainly not the last time vegetables will make an appearance on this blog. I hope you've opened your eyes to just how exciting & delicious vegetables can be, and I hope you've learned a little something along the way! I know I have!

I wanted to do this series because I see a lot of delicious meat and Paleo goodies floating around the Interwebz, but BORING vegetables. No offense y'all! I was guilty of the same thing for a long time. I love Paleo goodies as much as the next person, and you will see a few here and there on this blog, but the fact is REAL food is what we should be eating the majority of the time. That being the case, this blog will mostly focus on delicious real food recipes--including meat, veggies, fruits, fats, nuts & seeds. If you are filling your day with Paleo breads, brownies, cookies and cakes, then you may need to reassess your diet and make some changes (I go through this occassionally and have to refocus myself). Vegetables should be half our plate when we sit down to eat. The common misconception is that Paleo is a meat based diet--it is not! Meat is our main source of protein, yes, but ALL of the other nutrients we need come from vegetables.

When I started researching different vegetables for this series, I was blown away by the common threads in all of them. Vegetables not only provide us with tons of vitamins, but they most all contain some kind of cardiovascular benefits, cancer fighting agents, and detoxifying nutrients. No wonder we're supposed to be eating so many vegetables! 

Beets!

Beets are making a huge appearance in today's recipe! Why? First of all, I find their earthy sweet flavor delicious. Secondly, they are so incredibly good for us. Beets are part of the chenopod family which includes chard and spinach. Chenopods have been shown to provide nutrients unique to their family of foods. To quote an article from The World's Healthiest Foods, "The red and yellow betalain pigments found in this food family, their unique epoxyxanthophyll carotenoids, and the special connection between their overall phytonutrients and our nervous system health (including specialized nervous system organs like the eye) point to the chenopod family of foods as unique in their health value."

Gorgeous fresh foods!

Along with these benefits to our nervous system, beet's phytonutrients help fight inflammation, and help detoxify our bodies. Need more reasons to eat beets? Well, they are also loaded with antioxidants, but not just any antioxidants! Since beets get their red color primarily from betalain antioxidants pigments and not anthocyanins, they provide antioxidant support in a way that is unique from other vegetables. 

I think it's clear, beets are a unique vegetable that should be a part of our diet! But, what if you don't like beets? Enter today's recipe!

Pink Horsey Slaw

Who doesn't love slaw? Ok, some people don't like it--I'm one of those people! Slaw has never been a favorite of mine, until I made this recipe! Since this recipe contains raw beets the flavors will be a bit more unique from traditional roasted or steamed beets, and you don't have to hassle with that long cooking time. The blend of horseradish, dill and roasted walnut mayleo combined with the earthy sweet flavor of the beets makes for a delicious slaw that even the most passionate beet skeptic will enjoy. I love pairing this side with my pulled pork or burgers!

Ingredients:

Droppin' some killah beets in the Comparison Kitchen!

Slaw

1/2 head of cabbage chopped

3 red beets shredded

Sauce

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup roasted walnut mayleo

4 heaping Tbs fresh finely grated horseradish root (I did this in a magic bullet)

2 Tbs fresh chopped dill

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp ground pepper

Put chopped cabbage and shredded beets into a large mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix sauce ingredients together. Do not be alarmed by the amount of horseradish--fresh horseradish is not nearly as strong as prepared horseradish. If you are concerned, add it a tablespoon at a time testing the flavor to get your desired hotness. 

Once you've mixed the sauce, add it to the vegetables and mix well. The result will be a beautiful pink slaw! Keep in the refrigerator. Although this slaw is delicious to eat right away, it will be even better the day after you've made it.