Winter Slaw with Sprouted Lentils
Brighten up your dinner table with this healthy vibrant winter slaw.
Ribbons of purple cabbage tossed with slivers of green onion, sprouted lentils and grated carrot drizzled with a creamy garlic dressing makes for a colourful side dish when winter skies are grey and gloomy. I like to serve this slaw as a topping for slow cooker pulled pork in a big soft bun, or in spicy fish tacos (check back soon for my recipe).
The gardener in me enjoys sprouting things during the winter months, it feels like I'm growing something, even if it is just little baby plants. Sprouting lentils is easy, it takes a couple of days, but once sprouted, the lentils will keep for about a week in the fridge. Click here for step by step directions.
Creamy Garlic Dressing
For the dressing I'm using a mix of sour cream and mayonnaise following these basic proportions from The Kitchn, with a couple of additions.
- 1 small clove garlic
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- a dash of soy sauce
Finely chop the garlic, then use the side of your blade to smash grind the clove into a paste. Add the garlic paste to all of the other ingredients in a jar with a lid, and simply shake to combine.
Winter Slaw with Sprouted Lentils
- 1 small head of purple cabbage
- 3 medium carrots
- 4 green onions
- 1 cup sprouted green lentils
Start by cutting the cabbage in half through the center of the core, and then cut each half in two, you'll have four wedges. Remove the hard center core, and discard. Finely slice each quarter into shreds.
Grate the carrots using a box grater, slice the green onions, and you are ready to assemble.
In a large bowl, toss together all of the ingredients with about a cup of dressing, and your slaw is ready to serve.
Leftovers will keep for a few days in the fridge, just add a little extra dressing before serving.
This recipe is also a great opportunity to test out my new Sabatier cleaver. I agreed to share my opinions in return for a knife, so I've been using this cleaver for lots of different chopping jobs. At first, I had great visions of speed chopping my way through vegetables like I'd seen on Asian cooking shows as a kid, but sadly I wasn't so deft with my blade.
The cleaver is very useful for certain tasks. It's ideal for heavy duty chopping things like winter squash, cabbage, kohlrabi, or any big hard vegetable. I found it comfortable to hold, it wasn't too big for my hand or too heavy, and ergonomics are important in the kitchen. This cleaver has become my go-to knife for chopping garlic, just give it a quick chop and then mash it into a paste with the side of the blade, it does a great job.
I received a Sabatier 6" Cleaver as compensation for a review of the product. All opinions, as always, are my own.
