Beta Beauty Slaw

The "Eating for Beautiful Skin" workshop this afternoon, and for our guests, Kristin and I prepared a couple of tasty beauty treats. To start, we served iced turmeric tea (made from the whole fresh root), then  the Beta Beauty Slaw; and later we made a luxurious oatmeal aloe facial mask and a decadent coconut sugar body scrub. So good!

My favorite lesson from the workshop was our emphasis on eating colors. When you're eating food of a wide variety of colors--oranges, reds, greens, yellows and blue-- you're most likely consuming powerful beautifying phytonutrients and antioxidants. Sorry, Skittles and M&Ms don't qualify. Antioxidants protect your skin from damage, regenerate healthy cells, prevent breakouts and nurture your glow. Making sure you have a colorful plate every time you sit down to eat is very easy, simply stock up on vegetables and fruits. It can also be super fun and delicious.
 

The Beauty Beta Slaw is a simple dish created with the "eating your colors" philosophy in mind.  Beta-carotene, found in both carrots and red cabbage, is a superhero antioxidant known to protect skin from free-radical damage. That means less wrinkles and fine lines, fewer breakouts and a healthy glow. The apple cider vinegar in the salad adds the perfect tanginess, as well as the perfect PH balance within your body for clear skin. Ginger is a powerful anti-inflammatory, reducing signs of aging and acne. We served the slaw in an avocado for an extra boost of beta-carotene (yes, avocados are full of carotenoids) and other skin healthy nutrients like fiber, vitamin K and loads of anti-inflammatory goodies. Beta-carotene is a fat soluble nutrient, which means that it's better absorbed with healthy fats like avocado. Having the Beta Beauty Slaw with an avocado greatly increases your body's ability to absorb all of the fantastic nutrients within the salad.

If you're striving for brighter, clearer and more youthful looking skin, the best place to start is with your diet. Eating a whole foods diet, full of nature's brilliant colors will help you achieve beautiful skin, and a healthier body, mind and soul. Eat up!

Beta Beauty Slaw

(For this salad I let the food processor do all of the shredding for me.  Within minutes the entire salad is complete. If you're a cilantro fan, add a cup of chopped cilantro to the salad too. Can be made ahead of time and refrigerated up to 2 days. Add the slaw to the avocados right before serving. 

serves 4)

1/2 head red cabbage, shredded

3 carrots, shredded

1 tbsp garam masala

1/4 cup tahini

4 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp minced ginger

about 4 tbsp water 

sea salt 

black pepper

4 avocados, sliced open and pitted

fresh lemon

Place shredded cabbage and carrots in large mixing bowl. 

In a small bowl, mix together garam masala, tahini, vinegar, syrup, ginger and water. Add more water if the dressing needs to be thinned more. Pour the dressing onto the cabbage and carrots and toss to coat. Scoop a bit of the center out of each avocado. Immediatly squeeze fresh lemon juice onto the avocado to prevent oxidation. Cut the scooped out avocado flesh into smaller pieces, and stir into the slaw. Season slaw with salt and pepper to taste, then spoon the slaw into the avocado shells and serve.