Theres nothing left of you! Christmas Salad

This salad is the perfect compliment to Christmas Lunch because it its light, crunchy texture softens the weight of any meat. It aids digestion, prevents over-eating and balances the rich flavours of festive feasting.

My younger brother tells me I once told him that the secret to a good salad was "Lots of ingredients, chopped finely". Can't doubt the logic!

The 'There's Nothing Left of You! Christmas Salad' proves it perfectly.

I come from a family where shared meals were of an especially high calibre, and stress-levels were directly proportional.

Having made a deal with my step-sister that I'll do the main if she does dessert, we've managed to please the oldies and the adolescents with essentially zero stress!

Here's our formula:

1 x Roast Protein (eg Round Beef Eye Roast)

1 x Veges Galore (eg There's Nothing Left of You Christmas Salad)

1 x Quality dressing (eg Asian Sesame Soy Dressing)

1 x Special sauce (eg Smooth Dijon Mustard)

Followed by 1 x Reliable baked dessert (she does a mean lemon cake)

We've even discovered our alcohol intake has dropped. Surely not a coincidence?! We'd have to agree that true satiation - less stress and more connection - is dampening our risk-seeking cravings.

So, this salad was loved by all at our pre-pre-Christmas dinner last Sunday, with the matriarch commenting "I could live on this salad every day of my life!" (I didn't have the heart to tell her she might be one day if she weren't constitutionally-near-invincible).

Ingredients:

1/4 cabbage (finely sliced and chopped)

2 x carrots, large organic(finely grated)

4 x celery, sticks (finely sliced)

3 x eschallots (finely sliced)

5 x mint sprigs (finely sliced)

1 x cashews, handful roasted + freshly toasted (finely chopped)

Dressing:

Peanut oil

Soy sauce

Sesame oil

Rice Kirin

Lemon juice

The reason all ages like this salad is that it takes on the full flavour of the dressing. Add a little or a lot to suit your taste buds. It also keeps fresh for a few days when airtight so save the rest of that dressing!

I'd love to hear how your family like our recipe! On our side of the fence, I think I may have just found a new traditional Christmas food. I n the words of my 14-year old daughter, "Word. Christmas food slaps".

Alexis Dennehy is a Naturopath with a passion for embodied practice and public health. You can book an appointment with her at www.onenaturaltherapies.com.au or hear her speak every Sunday at 5pm at https://www.facebook.com/northbrisbanepsychologist