Just chop and shred your way to this super versatile immune-boosting, detoxing, nutrient-dense rainbow chopped veggie salad (red cabbage salad). Enjoy it as a side dish, light meal, or boost with grains and protein for a heartier meal.
Make sure the salad dressing is prepared, so it has time to sit and "marinate". I used this roasted garlic dressing this time.
Rinse and shred/finely chop all the vegetables using a sharp knife, mandoline, food chopper, and/or food processor. I finely shredded the red cabbage (a food processor will get this done in no time at all) and carrot, finely chopped the tomato, bell pepper, and cucumber, and thinly sliced the green onions.If you’ve only got tomatoes that are fairly seedy, it may be a good idea to de-seed them before adding them to the salad, likewise with the cucumber.
Combine all the ingredients in a large serving dish and toss well. You can then enjoy the salad immediately, though I recommend allowing it to sit for 20-30 minutes to allow all the flavors to meld a little first.
How to Make Ahead and Store?
Make ahead: you can chop any or all of the vegetables a day or so in advance and store them in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Keep "wet" veggies (tomato, cucumber, etc.) in separate containers from dry ones (carrot, cabbage, etc.). You can also prepare your salad dressing of choice in advance and keep it in a jar in the fridge for several days. Then, when you’re ready, combine all the ingredients and enjoy!Store: once assembled, store the chopped veggie salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. The veggies will soften and release excess liquid in this time, becoming more "watery". If you want to store it for longer, keep the salad and dressing separate and store it for 4-5 days.I haven't tried, though I don't recommend freezing the salad as it will affect the texture of several of the fresh ingredients.
Notes
To speed up the prep: a mandoline, food chopper, and/or even food processor grating disk really come in handy to speed up the prep to just a few minutes. If you aren’t worried about even pieces, you can chuck several of the ingredients (separately) into a food processor and process until finely chopped.
Experiment: this mixed rainbow red cabbage salad is SUPER versatile. Use the veggies you have available, swap out the dressing, make it heartier with the addition of grains and proteins; it’s the perfect versatile salad.
Allow it to "marinate": give the dressing and veggies just 20-30 minutes to marinate will make for a more flavorful, developed chopped veggie salad.
Check the blog post for tons of ways to adapt the recipe and for optional add-ins!