For those of you turned off (or on) by the idea of eating exotic flowers, I apologize – this dish contains none. When I came up with the salad, I couldn’t think of what to call it. Slaw with cantaloupe, Fruity slaw, yuck – no, nothing seemed right. But when I plated the dish, there it was. An edible orchid; gorgeous and sweet, with just a hint of the foreign. Impressive, yet perfectly simple. And completely, sweetly, low sodium.
Serves 4.
INGREDIENTS
2 c. shredded red cabbage
3 T. orange juice
1 t. balsamic vinegar
1/8 t. freshly ground black pepper
2 granny smith apples, cored and sliced thinly
1/2 t. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 ripe cantaloupe, halved and seeded, then cut into 8 equal sections, rind removed
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
DIRECTIONS
Place the cabbage into a mixing bowl. Add the orange juice, vinegar and pepper and toss well to coat. Set aside. Place the apple slices into another bowl, add the lemon juice and toss gently to coat. Set aside. Cut each cantaloupe slice in half, so you are left with 16 triangular sections. Place two cantaloupe sections in the middle of a plate, cut sides together, so they look rejoined. Pull them slightly apart and then do the same with another two sections, so that you have a sort of X with an empty space in the middle. Arrange a trio of fanned apple slices in each of the four empty spots between the cantaloupe points. Then place a fourth of the cabbage mixture in the empty space in the middle of the X. Top with a quarter of the chopped walnuts. Serve immediately.
