Red Cabbage Salad with Sweet Sesame Dressing

I have the winter blues. I miss hot sunshine on my shoulders, heating my body and warming my moods. I miss late lazy afternoons lingering into evenings. Most of all, I miss the sunny fruits of summer - mangoes, peaches, cherries, and my favorites, figs.

The good news is, Adelaide is still a very fertile place in winter. I may not be able to get my juicy summer yummies for a while, but I can get some other delicious fruits and vegetables. I have been going hard on the vanilla persimmons lately - sometimes I'll eat five or six of them for my lunch! My local organic has some great varieties of apples and pears that can't be found on any conventional market shelves. But best of all are the hearty greens and cabbages.

I bought my first head of red cabbage the other day, and I am in love. Crispy, juicy, sweet and spicy - an explosion of flavor and texture in my mouth. And the color - wow! Something so beautifully purple just has to be full of antioxidants and other goodies. I decided to dress this up simply, mixing in some other crunchy, colorful veggies and topping it with a sweet, tangy Asian dressing. The result was a crowd-pleaser among both the raw and non-raw folks at my house.

This salad will help keep the winter blues at bay.

Red Cabbage Salad with Sweet Sesame Dressing
1/2 head red cabbage
1 large or 2 small red capsicum/bell pepper
1/2 carrot
2 heads of bok choy
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 bunch coriander/cilantro
2 Tbsp tamari
2 Tbsp black sesame seeds
a few drops of sesame oil

Finely chop the cabbage and bok choy. Cut the capsicum into thin slices and julienne the carrot. Mix the vegetables in a large bowl and set aside.

In a blender or food processor, mix the honey, apple cider vinegar, coriander and tamari. Pour into a bowl and mix in the black sesame seeds and sesame oil. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat.

Serves 4 as a main dish, more as a side.