Summer Coleslaw & Alkaline Minerals

Summer up at the lake is inspiring some fresh healthy food–great for your sake, as I am creating some new recipes to share.  I have lots of time on my hands to experiment and prepare some new recipes in between soapy slip & slides and tubing on the lake with the kids.  Photographing the outcomes with more time on my hands also makes the process even more enjoyable and more successful.  You may recall that my recent trip to Europe yielded some great styling props.  Here you see the polka dot bowl and the fun fabric from Gronlyk in Copenhagen.  I couldn’t resist the combination with the colourful slaw–what do you think?

The best time to make this yummy coleslaw is now in summer time when all the fresh produce is so abundant and you are in the mood for a cool, crisp & crunchy salad or side dish to beat the heat!  This dish was soooo yummy it became my meal, not just a side.  It takes some time to do the slicing but it makes a nice big bowl so you can dress it as needed.  It will not stay crisp for long if you dress it all and have left overs so either chow down or set some aside and dress it later.

This recipe was inspired by the fabulous book that I have been pouring over that is filled with some very yummy sounding recipes called Clean Food by Terry Walters.  It’s a seasonal guide so you can focus on that particular section and cook your way thru it with summers bounty.  Terry believes that “For maximum nutrition, we’re better off eating closer to the source and relying on Mother Nature for seasonal produce to keep us in balance.”  Her recipes are vegan so you need only to adjust them to be more alkaline or eliminate the yeast, fungus and mold elements found in fermented ingredients like vinegars, soy sauces, miso’s, tamari’s or mushrooms etc.  In moderation you may not mind these ingredients but since I just did a juice feast I feel so cleansed that I am more likely to say no to these and typically I avoid them when ever possible.  Dr. Robert O. Young writes about the importance of avoiding yeast, fungus and mold that is present in most fermented foods and some grains in his book pH Miracle if you wish to explore this further.  Essentially he believes that they are the root of all disease and with an alkaline body and the avoidance of these toxins you will be safer from disease including cancers.

Summer Coleslaw

Yield: Approx 8 Cups
2 cups Napa cabbage finely sliced
2 cup red cabbage thinly sliced
2 red peppers thinly sliced
3 carrots julienne sliced
2 cups bok choy sliced mostly white and some green parts
small bunch chives chopped in 1″ pieces
3 tbsp raw sesame seeds- lightly toasted if desired
For the dressing
2 tbsp braggs liquid aminos
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil-cold pressed organic if possible
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons grated ginger
2 tsp raw sesame tahini
Celtic sea salt to taste
Method
Combine all sliced veggies in a nice large bowl- clear glass would be pretty.
Next wisk all dressing ingredients together in a measuring cup.
Pour dressing over all vegetables and toss well to coat.  Serve immediately.
If you don’t anticipate consuming the entire salad only toss some dressing on a portion of the veggies.

I discovered this handy dandy gadget that has dual blades, one for peeling and the other for julienne slicing.  It’s the best thing going for quick julienned carrots or other firm veggies.  It doesn’t waste any of the carrot as you can continue until there is nothing left.  Check out your local kitchen shop if you like pretty julienned carrots!

My measures are approximate for the veggies so incorporate what ever  you have.  I think adding jicama or kolrabi as another crunchy texture or in place of any ingredient above would be tasty too, don’t you think?  You could also top the salad with some sunflower sprouts too.  The possibilities are endless especially in this abundant summer season.  Adding the sesame seeds raw versus toasting them will provide greater nutritional value to this dish as toasting does enhance flavour it does damage the beneficial elements.  Also note that toasted sesame oil is to be used in moderation as it can contain carcinogens from the toasting method– so don’t go crazy with this stuff!

Do you feel confident that you are consuming a balanced variety of vegetables every single day?  I ask this because I am always wondering.  Eating a wide variety of organic vegetables year round as 70-80% of your diet will ensure that you receive the sufficient Alkaline minerals that will buffer acids caused by lifestyle, diet, and your metabolism while keeping disease at bay.  Below is a list of the 4 key minerals found in vegetables and whole foods that are necessary for alkalizing and maintaining a healthy body that is energized and vibrant.  What I find is that each day we eat a pretty good variety but it is difficult to be sure that our intake is always suitable to cover all 4 minerals sufficiently every single day.  To guarantee that I had this covered and to further alkalize twice a day I drink a glass of alkaline water mixed with mineral salts formulated by Dr. Young that contains the 4 key alkaline minerals: potassium, magnesium, calcium and sodium.  I swear by them as they are also helpful if you have a funny tummy or are feeling like a cold is coming on (acids are pouring out).   You drink these salts in a glass of alkaline water or filtered water with alkalizing drops and–bam! these salts alkalize and mineralize your system so effectively and quickly that it’s like a small miracle.  The Phor Salts alkaline mineral supplement almost instantly neutralizes harmful acids.

Here’s the whole food sources of the 4 key alkaline minerals as noted by Dr.Robert O.Young:

POTASSIUM:
Avocado
Spinach
Soy sprouts
Lentils
Swiss Chard
Tomato
Broccoli
Cucumber
Beetroot Greens
Carrots
Alkaline water

MAGNESIUM:
Pumpkin Seeds
Spinach
Soy sprouts
Swiss Chard
Broccoli
Cucumber
Sunflower Seed sprouts
Pumpkin seeds
Tomato
Celery
Quinoa
Almonds
Alkaline water

CALCIUM:
Basil
Turnip
Thyme
Spinach Greens
Broccoli
Swiss Chard/Silverbeet
Romaine Lettuce
Kale
Celery
Cabbage
Green Beans
Asparagus
Brussels Sprouts
Garlic
Alkaline water

SODIUM:
Avocado
Carrots
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Kale
Lettuce Greens
Parsley
Peppers
Radish
Sunflower Seed sprouts
Turnip

Note on Sodium by Dr.Young: “I am talking about proper, pure sodium, not table salt or the salt added to refined foods.Today’s common table salt is a poison that has nothing in common with natural liquid colloidal salt. Most common table salt is made up of chemicals that pollute your body and wreak havoc on your health. Your table salt is actually 97.5% sodium chloride and 2.5% chemicals such as moisture absorbents, and iodine. Dried at over 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, the excessive heat alters the natural chemical structure of the salt causing the potential for a myriad of health challenges in your body. [see the full article here]  Sodium is essential in the body, and the above listed alkaline vegetables, fruit and water provide you with a good, clean source of this important salt.”

I highly recommend the pHor Salts, not to sell you something, but because I have used them now consistently for almost 2 years now and they are my wonder supplement.  I don’t even leave home for vacation without them as they are a daily ritual.  You can read more and order them right here if you wish to try them out.  There are also capsules as well.  The salts are a little salty to drink but I am so accustomed to them now that I don’t taste it but if you don’t like the idea of salty try the capsules right here.

Dr. Robert O. Young writes a blog Articles of Health that is quite fascinating with volumes of scientific alkaline information from his 30+ years of studying.

So enjoy this vegetable packed coleslaw and maybe consider trying the pHor Salts, perhaps even in the fall, when it becomes increasingly difficult to find a good variety of organic vegetables.

What’s your favourite vegetable this summer that you can’t seem to get enough of?  Have you grown your own veggies or did you find an awesome market close by?  Please indulge me as I am a vegetable fanatic:)

Enjoy the summer sunshine and all this abundant produce.