This super healthy salad makes me feel so good and glowing from the inside! It's packed with probiotics from apple cider vinegar which goes through a fermentation process, meaning that it contains "the mother" or a scoby -- a rich resource of live probiotics. This salad is also detoxing utilizing plenty of raw garlic and lemon juice. Firstly, garlic is shown to have proven to contain "...antimicrobial, antithrombotic, antitumor, hypolipidaemic, antiarthritic and hypoglycemic agents", as well as being able to show preventative effects against cancer and cardiovascular disease. Lemon is shown to provide the body with a punch of vitamin C and antioxidants. Through these nutrient contents, lemon and other citrus have been "...reported to exhibit anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective bioactivities" . I've also read that the oils that come from lemon can work as anti-depressants! Cabbage contains vitamin C and has an enzyme that has evidence to be a cancer-fighting and anti-inflammatory component. I added tofu to this recipe and kept it raw. Seems weird but don't knock it before you try it! I love adding tofu to dishes on days where I need some extra protein. I buy extra firm organic tofu every time from Whole Foods. Sesame seeds were added on top to provide essential fatty acids, B-vitamins and prevent osteoarthritis. 

       It can always be interesting to look up the nutrient components of the foods you're eating. Scholarly journals such as PubMed through NCBI have free full-text articles on subjects that nutritionist scientists are continuously releasing to the public. Go get nerdy and educate yourself! 

     Onwards! This salad is RAW and delicious. Below is the recipe, prep and nutrient content info.

Recipe: Makes 3-4 servings 

Salad:

• 1 radicchio or red cabbage, rinsed and chopped

• 3-4 stalks Lacinato "dino" kale, rinsed, stems removed and chopped

• Small block of raw firm organic tofu, pressed and cubed

• 1 Tsp white sesame seeds

• 1 Tsp black sesame seeds

Dressing:

• 3 TB extra virgin olive oil

• 1 Tsp Bragg's apple cider vinegar

• 1 large lemon, juiced

• 1 Tsp Coconut Aminos, Bragg's aminos or soy sauce 

• 1 TB raw garlic, minced

• pinch of pink salt 

• pinch of red pepper flakes

Prep:

1. Begin by adding rinsed and chopped radicchio/cabbage and kale to a large salad or mixing bowl
2. Next prepare your tofu by pressing out the remaining juice, cutting into cubes and marinating with coconut aminos, salt and pepper. Let this sit while you prep the dressing.
3. For the dressing, add all the ingredients together in a small bowl and whisk until well combined.
4. Pour dressing over cabbage and kale in the large mixing bowl and mix until the lettuces are covered well.
5. Add in tofu and sesame seeds and mix together once more.
6. Enjoy! Store leftovers in a mason jar -- the next day I like the salad even more because the dressing is more incorporated and soaked in!

Nutrition Facts: (1 cup=1 serving)

• Calories: 331
• Fat: 23 grams
• Carbohydrate: 22 grams
• Protein: 16 grams
• Polyunsaturated Fat: 5 grams
• Monounsaturated Fat: 3 grams
• Fiber: 6 grams
• Vitamin A: 7727 iu
• Vitamin C: 150 mg
• Calcium: 283 mg
• Iron: 4 mg
• Vitamin B-6: 0.5 mg
• Vitamin K: 506 mcg
• Magnesium: 70 mg
• Phosphorus: 134 mg
• Potassium: 637 mg
• Zinc: 1 mg
• Folate: 126 mcg