How to Make a Tasty Red Cabbage Salad for Lunch

Salads make a great lunch. You can eat a full plate of salad without worrying about calorie intake. If losing weight is your goal, skipping heavy meals for lunch and switching to a nutritious salad will enhance satiety and lower the total number of calories eaten during the meal.

There are thousands of ways to make salads, and raw red cabbage salad is one easy and tasty option that you should definitely try.

Along with red cabbage, it’s made with dates, beetroot, oranges, basil leaves and extra-virgin olive oil. This salad is super easy to prepare. After some chopping and tossing, your scrumptious, satisfying salad is ready. Even better, it is packed with the best of nutrients.

Red cabbage is one of the most nutritious and best-tasting vegetables and a good source of potassium and calcium. Beetroot and dates are full of iron. Oranges are a vitamin powerhouse. Extra-virgin olive oil contains healthy monounsaturated fat, which is good for your heart due to its cholesterol-lowering property.

Here's how to make a tasty red cabbage salad for lunch

Steps to Make a Tasty Raw Red Cabbage Salad

Things you’ll need:

• Red cabbage, finely shredded – 1 cup
• Orange segments– 4 or 6
• Fresh orange juice– 4 to 6 tablespoons
• Beetroot, grated – 1 cup
• Dates, chopped into thin slices – 6
• Basil leaves for garnishing
• Extra-virgin olive oil– 2 to 4 tablespoons

Step 1. Slice an orange

Cut off the top and bottom of the orange, then remove the skin. Pull apart the segments and set 5 or 6 aside in a bowl.

Step 2. Extract the juice

Put the remaining orange segments, one by one, in a lemon squeezer to extract the juice. You need 4 to 6 tablespoons of orange juice.

You can use packaged orange juice also, but then you will have to compromise on the taste.

Step 3. Chop a cabbage

Remove the core of the red cabbage, and chop it into thin slices. Try to chop it as thinly as possible to improve the taste of your salad. Always use a sharp knife, and don’t forget to wash the cabbage thoroughly before chopping.

Layer about 1 cup of the finely shredded cabbage on a plate.

Step 4. Peel and grate a beetroot

Wash a beetroot, cut off the head and peel away the skin. Then, grate the peeled beetroot using a hard grater.

While handling beetroot, be extra careful as the juice can stain your hands as well as clothes. Wash your hands immediately.

Step 5. De-seed and chop some dates

Remove the seeds from the dates and chop them into thin slices. For this recipe, 5 or 6 dates will be plenty, however you can use more if you like.

Step 6. Arrange orange pieces on the red cabbage bed

Lay the orange pieces on top of the red cabbage bed for a beautiful presentation and color contrast.

Step 7. Add the grated beetroot and chopped dates

Next, spread the grated beetroot along the sides, covering the cabbage completely. Then, add the sliced dates.

Step 8. Add basil leaves

Tear some basil leaves into pieces with your hands and add them to the salad.

Step 9. Pour orange juice over the salad

Pour the orange juice over the prepared salad. The sweet and tangy juice will add a nice flavor.

Step 10. Drizzle olive oil and enjoy

Finally, drizzle 2 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil on the salad.

You can eat your raw red cabbage salad right away. Freshly prepared salad tastes the best.

Additional Tips:

• You can substitute apricots for the dates.
• You can substitute carrots for the beetroot.
• You can substitute herbs like thyme, parsley, oregano or mint for the basil leaves.
• Optionally, sprinkle some salt and pepper on the salad to enhance the taste.
• Avoid using ready-made salad dressings as they are high in calories.