In the winter, when most available local produce is dark leafy greens, we turn to healthy slaws. I wrote about these two years ago. Our family is revisiting them again and updating them for what our kitchen looks like today.
I think they’re even better now! I don’t know what it is — have our tastes changed? I am not chopping the veggies up so small. Could it be the sprouted beans I’m adding — so delicious and crunchy? Certainly the cubes of goat cheese add a great bit of flavor.
In any case, we love our slaws. I take whatever greens we have available locally (right now: chard, kale, and cabbage) and chop them up in about 1 centimeter pieces. I add lentil, mung bean and garbanzo bean sprouts that I grow myself. I also add cubed goat cheese, red onion slices, pumpkin seeds… really, anything I have on hand that I think would be good and won’t wilt quickly. Even nuts would be good. The dressing is: extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar (good quality, sulfite free), sea salt, pepper, dill, basil, thyme — all to taste. Toss and serve. Because the greens and bean sprouts are hearty, they don’t wilt quickly; the leftover salad can be kept and included in Jeff’s lunch the following day.
What do you think? Are you willing to try a healthy slaw? Let me know if you do!
Refer to the original article or just use whatever hearty veggies, seeds, nuts, sprouts, cheese you have on hand to create something your family will love. I’d say to avoid wet or wilty veggies such as tomoatoes, cucumbers, and/or alfalfa sprouts.
Hi Wardeh,
Thanks for the reminder about slaws. Winter is such a good time to prepare and eat slaw.
I just, for the first time, sprouted my own mung beans. They didn’t sprout like the bean sprouts from the Asian store, the ones with the long tails. Do you know why? I started with small green mung beans.
Now that I’ve accomplished this small feat, I’m ready to sprout other beans. Do you have a suggestion for where to start?
Also, where do you find sulfite free balsamic vinegar? I’d love to know. Thanks!
best, Ellen
Hi, Ellen!
Good for you on sprouting mung beans! The challenge with mung beans (getting them to have long, straight, thick tails) is to sprout them in a container that allows them to keep that posture. Like a tray where they can stand tall and grow upright. I personally don’t worry about doing it this way. Mine I grow in 1/2 gallon jars and they get curly. Also, I don’t let them grow that long, as older mung beans sprouts taste more bitter, unless cooked. We grow ours for eating raw, so we eat them younger. This is all a matter of preference! Experiment!
I’d suggest sprouting lentils, garbanzo beans and/or alfalfa sprouts next. They are all very easy. The lentils will take only a couple days (look for tiny green leaves, then they’re done, even a bit earlier they can be eaten). I consider the garbanzo beans done when they have 1/4″ tail on them, which is only a couple days. The alfalfa sprouts can take up to a week. With those I’m looking for little green leaves. You’ll want to rinse all the sprouts twice a day, at least. Before eating, the alfalfa sprouts will need to be plunged in a basin of water to rinse off all the seed hulls. (Explained here: http://gnowfglins.com/2008/11/21/how-i-rinse-and-store-my-sprouts/.) I like to use jars for beans and trays for tiny seeds.
I get my sulfite-free balsamic vinegar from Hummingbird Wholesale in Eugene, OR.
Best to you, Ellen! Love, Wardeh
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