Okay, so maybe mislead you with the title of this. Sorry. I don’t really have a cure for the virus. Don’t I wish! But maybe I have a partial cure for the extra inches on your waistline and hips as a result of the stay-at-home order. I know I have been entirely too comfortable, wearing only what I call my comfy clothes. What the heck, eh? Cooking and eating have sustained me these last six weeks, no guilt. But maybe an occasional lunch of something a little healthier would make me feel a little less guilty. The best thing about this dish is that…
- You can make it ahead
- It keeps for days without losing any flavor
- There are almost zero calories
- It’s full of nutrition and roughage
- It makes for very satisfying chewing, it takes longer to eat so it fills you up
- It tastes great
- It can be used in many recipes (salads, taco topping, garnish, etc.)
My favorite is a big bowl of these vegetables with a scoop of cottage cheese or half an avocado (or both). For fancy you could add a sprinkling of feta and add some black olives (a drizzle of olive oil)…call it Greek salad.
This is perfect for hot days. It’s cooling and light as well as healthy.
Pickled Vegetable Salad
Use whatever ingredients you have on hand. I used:
- 3 sweet peppers (one of those packages with a red, orange and yellow one) – thinly sliced
- 1 English cucumber, cut in half and then into half moons
- 1/2 of a large red onion, thinly sliced
- 12 of a green cabbage, thinly sliced
Brine:
- 1 cup of mild white vinegar, I used unflavored rice vinegar
- 1 cup of water
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of kosher salt
Method:
- Mix the brine ingredients together in a large bowl until the sugar and salt are dissolved
- Add the vegetables to the bowl and mix to coat
- Refrigerate at least an hour or up to a week
The salad will become more pickled over time.
Other vegetables to think about adding
- carrots
- celery
- red cabbage
- cauliflower
Pickled Vegetable Salad
Another healthy and vegetable heavy idea would be Salad Soup. See the post from August 2018 on the link. It’s still one of my standard summer lunch go-to’s.
Salad Soup
Enjoy, be safe.
I noticed I was putting on a few pounds and so I started to eat more vegetables. The problem is I have to go to the store more often for fresh. If I order veggies and pick them up they aren’t always the best quality or what I want. Pickling is a great idea as that will keep the veggies longer.
This is a very light pickle so it isn’t an overwhelming flavor, but it does preserve the vegetables. I am now on day 3 and they are still delicious and crisp.
I didn’t find the link so I just printed out the first 3 pages of your post…
Thanks, I will check it.
You certainly got me with the title and I had to see what it was about! It might not be a cure, but they do say fermented ( are these fermented?) vegetables are very healthy. I guess with the need to stock up and keep veggies longer, we also have turned to pickled vegetables too- I made pickled red onions and pickled carrots this week with just vinegar- will try your recipe- thanks!!
No, they are just in a quick pickle like your onions and carrots. It’s very mild and a good way to keep them for a bit longer as we are all shopping at the grocery much less.