Deck The Slaws! Guest Recipe by Laura of Peaches & Greens

I used to be an Internet hater. Whenever friends would tell me about a new blog or something they saw on Twitter, it really didn’t register and I wasn’t that interested. I liked books and magazines and real-life, face-to face interactions. I never joined Friendster, MySpace, or even Facebook. But when I started One Part Plant, it was one of the first times in my life that it all started to make sense. Because now I actually had something I wanted to share. And I wanted to share it not only with my close friends but with the whole wide world. And where’s the world? On the freaking Internet. So I decided to suck it up and join the party. And I’ll have to say, it’s been fun.

One of the best parts is the people I’ve met. Like Laura of Peaches & Greens. We started our sites around the same time, and I would always creep on her page to look at her inventive recipes (falafel waffles!) and get a little of her cool-girl vibe. But early this fall, I noticed she wasn’t posting much anymore. And even though I’d never met her, I wondered what was up. So I emailed her. I told her it was none of my business and she could tell me to shut the front door – but I was hoping she was ok and told her that I missed her posts. She wrote back the sweetest note and said she was taking a break to get focused and relaunch her site. We’ve been emailing ever since, and I consider her a planty partner-in-crime. But um, I was really serious about missing her posts…so I convinced her to share one her recipes here, ahead of the relaunch. And here it is!

Here’s what Laura told me about this slaw:
Weirdly enough, cooked veggies are just not my jam, so I end up eating lots of raw veggies in the colder months. The dressing on this slaw has lots of raw ginger and garlic so it ends up being unassumingly warm and cosy (and helps ward off winter bugs). The toasted black sesame seeds add an earthiness so it’s worth trying to find them over the white ones. You could also give this a quick stir fry and serve with rice or wrap it up in rice paper and eat with a dipping sauce.

{ Sweet Ginger Slaw }
by Laura Thomas of Peaches & Greens

SALAD
1/2 red cabbage, sliced into fine ribbons
15-20 Brussels sprouts (depending on size), sliced into shreds
2 medium carrots, julienned
1 cup cooked edamame
1/4 cup black sesame seeds, toasted

DRESSING
1 tablespoon raw ginger, peeled
1-2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon tamari or liquid aminos
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons maple syrup (depending on how sweet you like it)

Begin by preparing your vegetables and adding them to a large bowl. Slice the cabbage into fine ribbons. Cut the bottoms off of the sprouts, slice them in half, and then dice them lengthwise. This will give you little brussels sprout shreds. Julienne the carrots into matchsticks and then mix all together with the edamame.

In a mini food processor, add the ginger and garlic and pulse until very finely processed; you want them to be as paste-like as possible. Add the remaining dressing ingredients and blend until well combined.

Pour the dressing over the veggies and massage with your hands for a minute or so until everything is well coated. Allow to sit for at least an hour to allow flavors to meld.

Heat a dry pan over a medium heat and add sesame seeds, allow to toast gently for a few minutes until fragrant. If they start to pop then your pan is too hot! Serve salad with a few tablespoons of sesame seeds sprinkled on top.

Thanks so much, Laura! Follow Peaches & Greens Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates and new recipes.