Spicy pink salad

I always have a 'thing' for pink accessories. Beetroot and purple cabbage became my favorites just because they belong to pink family only. Even though purple cabbage looks prettier than the regular cabbage, in my view, it tastes better as salads or coleslaw or sauerkraut only. (While I use regular cabbage only to make Indian curries and stir-fry).  Here I have used English cucumber , as it is more firmer than the cooking variety. English Cucumber are the varieties that wouldn't be given a wax coating for longer shelf life and instead they are sold in a plastic wrap (see images below). But any cucumber will be good for this salad.
Here is a pink salad / pink coleslaw we love very much.

Time required to prepare - 10 minutes; time to refrigerate - 4 hrs (minimum).

Spicy Pink salad

Shredding the cabbage...sooo cute !

English Cucumber are the varieties that wouldn't be given a wax coating for longer shelf life  and instead they are sold in a plastic wrap.

Purple cabbage, English cucumber and lemon.

A simple version with red cabbage and cucumber. 

Colorful salad is ready!

Ingredients:
Red (purple) cabbage - 1 lb
English cucumber - 1/2
red capsicum - 1
lemon - 1
cilantro - few
pink salt- 1/2 tsp
red chili powder - 1/4 tsp
cumin (whole or powder) - 1/2 tsp

Method:
Shred the purple cabbage into small pieces (using a knife or food processor).
Halve the cucumber and Slice the cucumber into small pieces.
Cube the capsicum.
Chop the cilantro.
Put them all together in a wide mixing bowl.
Add pink salt, red chili powder, cumin and mix well.
Squeeze lemon.
Mix well and transfer it to a tight lidded container. Keep in refrigerator for 4 hrs - overnight, so that the cabbage gets little tender.
Pink salad is ready !

Serving suggestion:
Serve cool along with any meal or simply as healthy snack.

Vegetable salad

This is a very simple salad I prepare. I like to prepare my own vinaigrette / dressing as it is more convincing for me to avoid wastage. I  got the vinaigrette idea from a cook book 'Good food Gourmet', which I got from the local library. Here is a colorful vegetable salad with low calorie dressing from my kitchen to the bloggers:)

Vegetables:

Lettuce - 3 leaves
purple / red cabbage - 3 leaves
carrot - 1
plum tomato -6
olives - 6
red onion - 1/2 small

Vinaigrette:

white vinegar - 2 tbsp
Extra virgin olive oil - 3 tbsp
salt - little
sugar - 1/2 tsp
cilantro (or any herb) - 2 tbsp (chopped)

Method:

Mix the items given under vinaigrette and let it stand for an hour or more.
30 minutes before serving start preparing the salad to ensure the crispiness.
Wash the plum tomatoes and olives.
Slice the cabbage, lettuce, carrot, onion into small long pieces.
Add the vinaigrette and toss gently.
Cover tightly and keep refrigerated.

Vegetable salad is ready!

Tips:

This salad can be used as stuffing in sandwiches too.
It can be topped with bread croutons and cheese.

Stays fresh  for lunch box or for a delicious snack.
The vinaigrette can be prepared in a bulk and kept refrigerated for a month.
Preparing the salad from fresh vegetables makes it more delicious , nutritious and economical than buying a salad bag.