Blue Zones are places in the world that not only have high concentrations of people aged 100 and above, but also high numbers of people that grow old without diseases like diabetes or heart disease. I recently traveled to the Blue Zone region of Nicoya, Costa Rica. This cabbage slaw is inspired by the “Casado” dish we frequently ate in the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica. Casado is the most traditional Costa Rican dish- a plate made of rice, black beans, plantains, and cabbage slaw.

Add shredded chicken or beans to this slaw for a filling weekday lunch.  Or top your tacos with this slaw for a burst of flavor and nutrition.

Cabbage is a member of the cruciferous vegetable family. Cruciferous vegetables are rich in sulfur-containing compounds known as glucosinolates which support detoxification pathways and help prevent cancer, notably hormone-sensitive cancers such as breast cancer.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of cole slaw mix

Green Goddess Dressing

• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic

• 1/3 cup walnuts or cashews
• 1 cup fresh basil
• ½ cup fresh parsley
• 1 cup fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 4 TBSP water
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Add shredded cabbage to a medium sized bowl.
2. Make dressing: Combine dressing ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
3. Drizzle the dressing generously over the salad and toss. If you have leftover dressing, it stores well in a glass jar in the fridge.

*Okinawa tip:

Be like an Okinawan and crumple a nori seaweed sheet or some seaweed snacks on this salad for an iodine and antioxidant boost. Or top with Seaweed Gomasio (by Eden Foods), a sesame salt with seaweed. Seaweed is a superfood for the thyroid!