‘Brainy’ Coleslaw

Coleslaw is one of my favorite salads, and I think it’s because I love creamy, lemony, salad dressings. But store bought mayonnaise is not filled with brain-friendly ingredients, and it is really simple to make your own, if you know the basics. I add antioxidant rich turmeric, which has many great benefits for the brain, to my basic mayo recipe, and it turns the mayo a gorgeous golden color, adding extra nutrients to my simple, crunchy coleslaw.

Adding fresh coriander helps the salad become even more brain friendly, as coriander is thought to be a very effective mercury detoxifier, a heavy metal that is particularly damaging to brain tissue. I use a mandolin to slice my cabbage and the leek into fine strips but prefer to slice the carrots into thin julienne strips. The various textures add interest and crunch to the salad, other aspects of eating enjoyment, which add to the pleasure of a meal.

Ingredients

• 4 cups finely sliced cabbage
• 1 small leek, finely sliced – and rinsed well to ensure there is no sand present
• 2 medium carrots, sliced into julienned strips
• 1 bunch of fresh coriander – washed well and chopped finely, leaving a few leaves for serving

MACADAMIA MAYONNAISE

A powerful blender will give you a very smooth ‘cream’ but a slightly crunchy result is just as tasty

• Juice of one lemon
• 3/4 cup Macadamias
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• large pinch of salt
• cold water as required – up to 1/3 cup
• 2 tbsp honey/maple syrup
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 small garlic clove, peeled
• 1 cup activated pecan nuts

What to do

1. Combine all the salad ingredients in a bowl and set aside, leaving a little coriander to sprinkle over the top of the salad when serving
2. Add all the mayonnaise ingredients, except for the water and the pecans, to a blender and whiz together.
3. If the mixture gets stuck, add a little more cold water, slowly, until the mixture starts moving again.
4. Add as much mayonnaise as you want to the salad, toss well and serve with a few leaves of coriander and coarsely crushed pecan nuts sprinkled on top.
5. This mayonnaise will stay fresh in the fridge for about 5 days, and can be used on other salads as a  dressing – you may have to add some water to thin it out a little.

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