Refreshing Pressed Red Cabbage, Gazpacho Soup, And Simple Summer Sides: Recipes + Our Harvest

Refreshing Salads, Gazpacho, Easy Air-Fried Potatoes and Gorgeous Fruit - Simple Summer Diet Recipes

Refreshing Pressed Red Cabbage, Gazpacho Soup and simple summer sides really hit the spot on a hot summer day.  The Pressed Red Cabbage Salad recipe was one of my top watched recipe videos, if not the top viewed video on our old Plant Based Solution YouTube channel.  Rightfully so!  It's beautiful, vibrant, crunchy, simple, low-fat, easy to pack for a picnic or lunch to-go, and great for batch cooking.  And, oh my the tomatoes around here (including our own home grown) make the best Gazpacho!!  

Breakfast!!!

In this post, I share not only the Refreshing Pressed Red Cabbage & Gazpacho Soup recipes, but a few other quick salads and sides as well as a video showing our own summer garden harvests, farmers market and fruit hauls.  Oh yes, I've been digging some amazing fruits lately!  I also share my favorite Fruit Salad combos, below.

The Summer Diet is replete with berries, melons and other juicy fruits, plump tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, potatoes, soft lettuces, peppers, a variety of summer squashes and more.  Farmer's markets abound with all these and more delights of the season.  

The Summer Diet - Chinese 5-Elements

As I discussed in The Summer Diet:  How to Eat To Stay Healthy All Year Round, Part 1: The Fire Element, Chinese 5-Elements, and The Summer Diet, Part 2, Best Foods & Cooking Styles, more raw salads, fruits, cooling vegetables and simple, quick cooking meals are emphasized.  The fruits of summer (including vegetables which are technically botanical fruits, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and squashes) help us stay cool, despite the long, hot days.  And, simple meals keep us out of the hot kitchen, and free us to enjoy the great outdoors.  

To start with, here are a few gorgeous Fruit Salads I've been enjoying for...breakfast!  Fruit is the ultimate fast food!  

I absolutely love crisp, cool Cos (Romaine) lettuce, cucumbers, and even celery in my Breakfast Fruit Salad.  It's so refreshing!  Plus, you get all the extra folate, vitamin K, more water and other nutrients along with the bounty of antioxidants and phytonutrients in the fruits.  

Chinese Food Therapy - Spotlight on Celery

Cucumbers and celery are especially beneficial for helping drain excess damp, or fluid retention.  Fruit is high in potassium.  According to the Tao of Nutrition, by Maoshing Ni, Ph.D., celery has a cool nature, and sweet and slightly bitter flavor.  Its actions are to strengthen the spleen and stomach, tonify the kidneys, clear heat, lower blood pressure, benefit the blood, and key here, promotes diuresis. So, if you've over done it with the summer barbecues, and all the typically high-sodium (and fat)  sauces, including barbecue sauce, store bought salads like potato salad, coleslaw and other salty sides, dry, salty chips and snack foods, and high-sodium buns and other condiments, you'll love the hit of watery, potassium-rich, diuretic fruits and summer vegetables.  Your rings will fit better, and your kidneys and arteries will thank you as well!

I sometimes start with fresh melon on its own, but I added some to the above salad.  The sweet juicy plums have been rocking my world this summer, so I like to include plums in my Breakfast Fruit Salad.  And, lately, I've splurged on a couple papayas.  

Papayas are great with our favorite, small champagne (atalulfo) mangoes, red grapes, the juice of a lime, and a drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar Glaze (I purchased some from Trader Joe's.)   

That's pretty much all I use.  

DISCLAIMER:  Papayas are a tropical fruit, brimming with betacarotene, vitamin C, E, and many other vitamins and minerals.  That said, generally speaking, macrobiotics emphasizes choosing highly perishable produce as locally as possible.  I explain why this makes sense in The Macrobiotic Action Plan, Your MAP to Greater Health & Happiness.  While we do our best to adhere to this principle, what you do 80-90% of the time is what matters most.  Buy local when able.  Local fruit is typically picked when ripe, has grown in the same or similar conditions as you live, and fresh ripened fruit tastes much better!  If you are really craving some fruit that is not from your area, go for it.  Just remain mindful of making choices that are most suitable for your needs and health goals.

I see macrobiotics to be more like an operating system or GPS, guiding you to a happy, healthy life!

 

Papaya and the small yellow champagne mangoes, and red grapes is a favorite combination, to which you could add or sub out fresh strawberries and/or blueberries, bananas, nectarines, or your favorite.  

Spritz lemon, lime or fresh orange on top.  If you are really feeling wild, add some fresh sliced mint.  

Along with the fruit, I may have a slice of 100% whole wheat bread or a whole wheat English muffin with peach or apricot preserves, or some hot cereal.  Sometimes I just eat enough fruit until sated, and wait until I'm hungry again for more food.

 

Pressed Red Cabbage Salad requires a bit of muscle work.  You want to get your hand in there and squeeze the cabbage and other vegetables until they break down.  This helps pre-digest the cabbage, and makes it much more enjoyable, at least in my opinion.  Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Feel free to add any of your favorite summer diet vegetables to the Pressed Red Cabbage Salad!

For the Red Cabbage Salad, here's the basic that you need:  red cabbage, some citrus and/or vinegar for the sour, and a little bit of sea salt.  The sour and salt help break down the vegetables.

Refreshing Pressed Red Cabbage Salad 

(Makes plenty for 2-3 days)

1/2+ red cabbage, thinly sliced

1+ carrot, grated

1 beet, grated

1 large, juicy flavorful tomato, cut into chunks

Juice of 1 lime

Juice of 1 orange

1-2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar (I used a raspberry vinegar which was awesome!)

About 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt (I used Eden) 

1 Tbsp. maple syrup 

Sliced scallions (or thinly sliced red onion)

Drizzle of tahini

Optionals:  Sliced or chopped cucumber, celery, fine chopped red bell pepper or other sweet or spicy peppers, fresh herbs (parsley, basil, mint, chives, etc.) or chopped greens (I added some chopped homegrown Swiss chard & mustard greens)

Steps:

• Prep vegetables, and place all ingredients up to and including the sea salt to a large salad bowl.  If using cucumbers, add them now as well.  I did not add any to this salad, but if I were to add any, I de-seed the cucumber first.
• Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze until it all breaks down.
• Add maple syrup, toss, then top with scallions and a drizzle of tahini.  

Variations:  

• The sky is the limit.  You can make it more Asian flavored with rice vinegar, and possibly a small amount of toasted sesame oil, or skip the oil, and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
• Add fresh sweet corn cut from the cob.
• Vary the flavor by switching up the type of vinegar you use.  The raspberry vinegar was really great with this, but any nice floral or fruity vinegar would work, such as a regular balsamic, white balsamic, or possibly a natural apple cider vinegar.  
• Toss with slivered almonds.

    

Here's a video view of  our own summer garden harvest, plus a super budget friendly farmers market haul and a bounty of fresh fruit.

   

More Simple, Refreshing Summer Sides

Gazpacho Soup is an ideal way to take advantage of the many health benefits of tomatoes.  Choose some really plump, juicy tomatoes, ideally locally or personally grown if you can for the best flavor.

Gazpacho Soup

As you can see, these two different versions of Gazpacho Soup look quite different!  The final color or look of your Gazpacho Soup depends upon what type of tomatoes you use, and the other ingredients.

The Gazpacho Soup in the top photo was made using large red tomatoes.  I also added a little shredded carrot and beet which brightened up the vibrant red color.

The Gazpacho Soup in the bottom picture was made using Cherokee Purple Tomatoes, which as you can see in the upper left corner of the photo have a dark green––nearly like a green bell pepper––and deep purplish-red coloring.  Both were quite good.  As long as you start with some really flavorful tomatoes, you can't go wrong!

Gazpacho Ingredients

Gazpacho Soup Recipe

This is a real rough estimate of what I used.  Honestly, we came home from the farmers market, hungry as always.  I just threw the tomatoes in the food processor along with whatever seemed like a good add-in.  Here's a basic recipe, with variations.

• 2 large plump, flavorful tomatoes, or several if using smaller tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic, coarse chopped
• 1 Japanese cucumber, peeled, and coarse chopped, or 1/3-1/2 an English cucumber
• Small chunk of a sweet pepper (I used some of the long Hungarian yellow colored pepper) or if you want it spicy, add a little de-seeded jalapeño 
• A small bit of red onion
• Juice of 1 lime &/or 1 lemon
• Splash of balsamic vinegar
• A pinch of sea salt, or a splash of a reduced sodium tamari
• Pepper to taste

Optionals:  Around 1/4 cup each shredded carrot &/or beet, 1/4 of a small zucchini, peeled and coarse chopped; fresh or dried herbs (dill, basil, parsley)

Garnish:  Chopped vegetables or dried or fresh herbs;  Chop any of the vegetables added to the Gazpacho Soup into even-sized pieces, either fine or small diced, and/or add something white for contrast, such as white icicle or daikon radish (or whatever you like) or kohlrabi which adds a nice crunch; fresh sweet corn cut from the cob is another option, and/or add more chopped cucumber or pepper and fresh or dried dill, parsley or basil, or chopped avocado

Gazpacho Soup Recipe Steps:

• Place ingredients in a food processor or good blender.  You'll have to do a taste test to see if you want to add anything else.  I only used a light amount of seasoning as I like the fresh flavor of all the ingredients.  Plus, if you have extra, the flavors will meld as it sits.  But, add more sour flavor with more citrus, or more herbs and/or black pepper.  
• Garnish with chopped vegetables, herbs, corn &/or avocado, or sprinkle on some dried dill.
• For the olive oil lovers, you can add a small amount, if desired, but I did not.

Simple meals for the Summer Diet will help keep you cool, with minimal kitchen duty.  Here are a couple bonus side recommendations to enjoy in addition to the foods and beverages I recommended in The Summer Diet, Part 2 post.  

• Corn-on-the-cob: Steamed sweet corn needs no adornment.  Just steam lightly and enjoy as is.  It's also great raw, or with a drizzle of lime or umeboshi plum paste.
• Air-Fried New Potatoes:  Small Yukon golds, or new potatoes can be prepared quickly in an air fryer.  Don tossed about a pound of potatoes, cut in half with 1 Tbsp. each of apple cider vinegar & tahini.  He then liberally sprinkled a Garlic Herb seasoning blend, and black pepper.  We air fried at 375º (I think they cook better at 375º v. 400º.  They stay soft inside, while browning and getting a bit crisp on the outside.)  Really good!  
• Lentil Hummus:  Sandwiches with hummus are quick and easy.  Load up with garden tomatoes, thin sliced cucumbers, sliced naturally fermented pickles, and lettuce.  The sandwich pictured below is a Lentil Hummus.  We had some leftover cooked petite lentils that Don blended like a hummus. Blend about 1&1/2-2 cups of lentils (or try with black beans) with 1 clove of garlic, juice of 1 lime, about 1 Tbsp. black sesame tahini, 1 tsp. barley, red, or darker miso, and some cumin & smoked paprika.  Taste, and add a little more lime juice or a little bit of hot sauce as desired.  Really great with those thick sliced Cherokee Purple tomatoes!
• For dessert:  Don found this Tofu Mousse recipe on Instagram, and unfortunately, I don't quite know who to credit at the moment.  But, it's a super simple super creamy treat made with FIRM tofu.  Not extra firm.  Not silken tofu, although that may work too.  But it's more watery, so I'm not sure how the final texture would be.  Blend 1 package firm tofu, drained, with 8-10 Medjool dates (more if using smaller dates), 1/2 cup soy milk (vanilla or unsweetened), 1/2 cup of either cocoa powder, PB2 Pure peanut powder, and/or carob powder.  If using carob, it will be thicker because of the fiber in carob.  Using 1/4 cup of carob or cocoa powder and peanut powder works too.  Embellish as desired with vanilla extract, cinnamon, and/or a pinch of nutmeg or allspice.  Blend until very smooth and creamy.  Pour into glass serving dishes, and let sit in the fridge for one plus hours to set.  

Learn more about how to choose the best foods, correct imbalances, and enjoy a 'macrobiotic diet' - meaning a diet that will help you enjoy a long, great, healthy, vibrant life - that's best for you!

The Macrobiotic Action Plan, Your MAP to Greater Health & Happiness is available as an ebook, which you can order here.  It will be available in paperback sometime this fall.  I ordered proof copies a bit pre-maturely as I am making some great, albeit last minute changes. 

I have a few copies I can send out although much of the intro chapters text has changed, along with a couple other key sections.  IF you happen to be interested in a proof copy, and interested in providing a review for which I can add to the book, please let me know!  Leave a comment, and you may be selected to receive a copy, FREE, if in the United States.  I can send the updates electronically.  

Here are the three potential covers.  The original cover is at the right.