Salad with Cabbage & Raisins
Yogurt, vinegar, and mustard make a tangy dressing that replaces the mayo in a traditional coleslaw. Toss it with shredded cabbage, cubed apple, raisins, and a handful of mixed nuts, and lunch is ready in five minutes.
Seventeen grams of fiber from four sources (cabbage, apple, raisins, whole wheat bread) and 841 calories of filling, crunchy salad with two slices of whole wheat bread on the side.
Yogurt, vinegar, and mustard make a tangy dressing that replaces the mayo in a traditional coleslaw. Toss it with shredded cabbage, cubed apple, raisins, and a handful of mixed nuts, and lunch is ready in five minutes.
Seventeen grams of fiber from four sources (cabbage, apple, raisins, whole wheat bread) and 841 calories of filling, crunchy salad with two slices of whole wheat bread on the side.
Ingredients
- apple 1 piece
- yogurt, nonfat 2 fluid ounces
- vinegar 1 tablespoon
- yellow mustard 1 teaspoon
- cabbage, shredded 5 ounces
- raisins 2 ounces
- mixed nuts, unsalted 2 ounces
- bread, whole wheat 2 slices
Method
-
Cut the apple into cubes.
-
Whisk the yogurt with the vinegar and mustard to make a dressing. Season with pepper and salt.
-
In a bowl, mix the cabbage with the apple and raisins. Drizzle the salad with the dressing and sprinkle with the (chopped) nuts.
-
Serve this salad with the (toasted) bread.
Add the nuts right before eating, not when you prep the salad ahead of time. The dressing soaks into the cabbage and apple overnight and improves the flavor, but the nuts lose their crunch within hours.
Apple pectin and cellulose physically shield probiotics during digestion. A 2025 study found that apple fiber raised probiotic survival through the harshest stomach conditions (pH 2) from 71% to 82% after three hours. This salad pairs cubed apple with yogurt dressing in the same meal.
Apple fiber protects probiotics · DOIBehind this recipe
Is 27 grams of protein enough for a meal?
A systematic review of 49 studies found no upper limit at which the body stops using dietary protein for muscle synthesis. The commonly cited 30-gram ceiling is not supported by the evidence. Twenty-seven grams from mixed sources — nuts, yogurt, whole wheat bread — is fully utilized, just absorbed over a longer window.
Read the full evidence reviewCan I use mayonnaise instead of the yogurt dressing?
The salad works with mayo. But the yogurt contains live probiotic cultures, and a 2025 study found that apple fiber physically shields those cultures through stomach acid — raising survival from 71% to 82% at pH 2. Switching to mayo removes both the probiotics and the mechanism that protects them.
Are the raisins in this salad a good source of iron?
Raisins contain iron, but raisin iron bioavailability is low. The 56 grams in this salad contributes some iron, but absorption is poor compared to other sources. The cabbage provides a small amount of vitamin C that may help, but the raisins alone are not a reliable way to meet iron needs.
Read the full evidence review
