Purple Cabbage

Ryan and I are having dinner with friends tomorrow night and volunteered to bring a side dish.  So after much deliberation we decided to bring cole slaw.  Unlike the southern slaw that many of the locals make (finely shredded white cabbage with mounds of mayo dressing) I whipped up what I'm hoping to be something fabulous.

1 head purple cabbage shredded
1/2 cup raisins (dark or golden)
1/2 cup diced dried papaya, about 3 strips
1/4 cup store bought poppyseed dressing (trying to keep it extra simple)
*Mix all ingredients together and let sit 30+ minutes, may be made a day ahead.  It will serve between 6-8 people depending upon the size of your cabbage.

After fighting with our new food processor for about 15 minutes I finally figured out how to shred the cabbage.  I think a group of engineers had a hay-day figuring out how to put all the pieces together.

Not only is this recipe healthy, but it's also very affordable.  I'd say the whole recipe cost less than $3 or 0.375 cents a serving  It's hard to figure since I did not buy the raisins or papaya today.  Nutritionally, a serving(1/8) of a batch contains about: 130 kcal, 3.7g fat, 24g carb, 4g fiber, 2.5g protein, 95 mg sodium

Compared to the average cole slaw which contains on average 200 calories, 15g fat, and 356 mg sodium, I'd say my recipe is quite the improvement.  

Why use purple cabbage instead of green/white?  Antioxidants of course!  Anthocyanin to be precise, is what gives the cabbage its distinctive color and is believed to help prevent/fight cancer.  As well as the fact that it's low in carbohydrates and high in fiber; making it a perfect food for people with diabetes or those who are watching their weight.  This is as long as the cabbage is not covered in butter or salad dressing.
1 cup of raw red cabbage:
5g carb, 7g fiber, 3g protein, 68% RDA for Vitamin C.

The next time you head out to a BBQ or potluck, think about adding red cabbage to the menu.  For more reasons to eat cabbage, check out the links below.

World Healthiest Foods

Cabbage Study