Asian Radish Slaw

For April's FitNut Consulting newsletter, I went with a general spring theme, focusing on the nutritional benefits of spring vegetables like asparagus, peas, rhubarb and of course, radish.

Asparagus is by far the most nutritious of the bunch, as it is rich in folate, potassium and vitamin K, as well as a few antioxidants. While radishes don't offer as much nutritionally, they are still good sources of vitamin C and potassium.


For this recipe, I picked up a bunch of "regular" radish as well as a gorgeous watermelon radish. Not only does it provide some contrast in colour (I hope that they will have some different varieties of radish at the farmer's market this season!), it was also sweeter, and less peppery than its bright red cousins.


I don't have a know where Mama T keeps her mandoline, so I got to work julienning the radishes. Tip: once you cut off the ends and slice the radish, cut the strips cross-wise so each string of radish has pretty red tips.

    


A sprinkling of spring onions adds a spicy kick before the salad is dressed simply with some rice vinegar sweetened with sugar, so it's like a quick pickle. In fact, the longer you let the salad sit, the more softens and pickles, turning all the radishes pink! I tried to use honey as the sweetener to see if I could use less to achieve the same taste but this salad still ends up being so low-calorie that it doesn't matter either way.


Since the dish itself doesn't offer very much macronutrient-wise, I'd suggest to serve it with some grilled fish and some nutty, brown rice (actually, this bamboo rice that Jen found looks absolutely precious) for a healthy, balanced meal.

Asian Radish Slaw
Adapted from Tea & Cookies
Makes about 2 cups (serves 2-4 as a side dish)

• 2 cups (500 ml) radishes, about 2 bunches, julienned or shredded on a mandoline
  
• 2 green onions, sliced
  
• ¼ cup (60 mL) rice vinegar
  
• 1½ (6 mL) tsp sugar
  
• ¼ tsp (1 mL) black sesame seeds, optional

1. In a large bowl, mix together radish and green onion. Set aside.
   
2. In a small saucepan, heat rice vinegar and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Do not boil. Let the rice vinegar cool before pouring over radish and green onion. Toss to coat. Top with sesame seeds and serve.

Nutrition Information (per ½ cup): 21 calories, 0.2 g fat (0 g saturated, 0 g trans), 0 mg cholesterol, 4 g carbohydrate (1 g fibre, 3 g sugar), 1 g protein, 24 mg sodium. A good source of vitamin K.