Vietnamese Spicy Cabbage salad (Raw vegetables)

This colorful, crunchy, tangy and spicy cabbage salad just fills you up. The salad is so refreshing as it cools you in this heat of Summer that I usually like to have 2 huge bowls of salad in the evenings. It is more like a slaw but without the calorie rich salad dressing. I love to pair it with grilled food, particularly one shredded chicken breast or a grilled fish fillet or sometimes with a couple of boiled egg whites for supper. The salad's chili kick and sweet tangy savory side provide wonderful flavor contrasts. I had it at my friend's place who is an expert in Vietnamese-style cooking and decided to include it in my list of recipe collection.

Dressing:

1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup of fresh lime juice
2 or 3 short Indian green chilies, chopped or 2 large green horn peppers chopped fine.
1 clove garlic, chopped. (optional---you gotta brush your teeth :-) later ! )

**Watch it on the chilies. The mortar and pestle pounding releases all the oils and the dressing can be fiery -- enough to make you sweat a bit or feel overheated.

Using a mortar and pestle, mash the chili, garlic, ½ teaspoon sugar, and 1 pinch salt together into a fragrant greenish paste. (Use a sweeping motion at first to crush the ingredients and then pound.) This releases and combines the oils from the chili and garlic. Scrape the paste into a bowl and add the remaining ingredients of fresh lime juice. Slowly, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt in the paste and to combine well. Taste and alter the level of heat or if needed add more lime juice to create a spicy, tart, savory, lightly garlicky dressing. Mix well.

Ingredients for the salad:

1. 1/2 head green cabbage, about 1 pound or 4 cups of thinly sliced cabbage-
quartered through the stem end, cored, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide ribbons.

2. 1/2 a cup of shredded red cabbage (or just pick the prepacked, ready-to-eat, shredded ones from the salad section at the supermarket).

3. 1 large carrot, peeled and finely shredded.

4. 2 small radishes shredded

5. 1 English Cucumber, peeled skin & diced.

6. 1/2 a cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, or mint leaves

7. 1/4 cup coarsely chopped unsalted roasted peanuts (optional- for garnish & a little bit of good fat) or you could add a teaspoon of Udo's oil or flax seed oil on top of the salad instead of the peanuts.

Method:

1. In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, carrot, radish, cucumber chopped herbs of your choice- either cilantro or mint leaves. Toss to combine and distribute the ingredients well. Chill it for half hour, if you like.

2. Just before serving, pour the lime dressing over the salad and toss to mix well. The salad will wilt slightly. Taste and adjust the flavors to your liking, balancing the sour, sweet, salty, and spicy.

3. Transfer to a serving plate, leaving any unabsorbed dressing behind. Garnish with the unsalted, roasted chopped peanuts or drizzle a teaspoon of Udo's or Flax seed oil and serve with your choice of protein. Enjoy !

**I skipped these ingredients for the dressing used in the original recipe from my friend, such as:
3 tablespoon of Fish sauce
6 tablespoons of rice Vinegar ( **I replaced it with fresh lime juice)
3 tablesppons of sugar (**just used 1/2 teaspoon of sugar for little bit of sweetness...you could instead use Artificial sweetner, though I do not know the long term effects of using Splenda or other sweetner)

Tomato-Carrot-Beetroot Juice (Raw Juicing) / Detox

Tomato-Carrot-Beetroot juice is one of my favorite drink, as it is the powerhouse of health packed with chocful of vitamins, antioxidents and other essential minerals for the human body. I usually like to have it early in the morning, on an empty stomach before workout. It boosts my energy levels to get through the day. Well whatever it is, my skin has begun to glow and I just love to have it atleast three times a week.

Ingredients:

2 Medium, ripe tomatoes

1 Medium, ripe beetroot

6 baby carrots or 1 whole carrot


Method:

1. Wash the tomatoes thoroughly. Remove the stems but keep the tomato skin intact for juicing.

2. Peel the skin of the beetroot and carrots, gently wash off any soil & remove the roots & leaves. Do not juice the stems or leaves of the tomato plant or beetroot, as they are extremely bitter and will ruin the flavor of your juice. Dice the beetroot if you are using a blender.

3. Blend to make the Juice with the above vegetables and you have a healthy yet delicious drink in about few minutes !

Tomatoes are full of vitamin C, rich in vitamin A, potassium, iron, magnesium, vitamin B1, vitamin B6, and many others. Carrots rich in Vitamin A improves eyesight. Beetroots are beneficial, because it is high in nitrate content. You will find that this combo juice is a stimulating drink and it is also benefical to the digestive system because it is great source of fibre. This juice combo is definitely a strong antioxidant. It is claimed that the properties in beetroot is good for circulation and help to calm the nerves and also it can drastically help in lowering high-blood pressure. It can be a good detox drink as it cleanses the liver and the intestines. For women, it improves the menstrual problems as well as cures anemia.

Caution: Beetroot juice by itself is very potent. and it's recommended that you drink the raw beetjuice diluted at least 4 times with other milder juices as a combination with either veggies or fruits. Having Beetroot juice by itself can temporarily paralyze your vocal chords, make you break out in hives, increase your heart rate, cause chills or a fever.

Blends of Juices:
1. Carrot, celery and parsley - Cleanses the system of excessive acid.

2. Carrot and Cabbage - Detoxifies the intestinal track.

3. Beet juice with carrot and celery (For a sweeter drink, add an apple, or use 2 apples instead of the carrots)

4.Beetroot juice with cucumber and pineapple (A fabulous cleansing drink which is best when consumed on an empty stomach)

5. An unusual but delicious vegetable juice recipe that uses apples, beetroot, broccoli and lemon juice.

6.Beetroot, carrot & apple juice (this mix can amazingly boost your energy levels).

7. Blend the beetroot, ginger, pineapple and cucumber along with water.