I feel like there aren’t enough cool things in nature that are purple. Sure, there’s flowers – but what a majestic color. Aside from that, is there anything else naturally occurring that’s purple?

One cool thing about working with Feng Shui with my friend Kristin’s business is seeing how important it is to incorporate certain colors into your life and into your home. Purple is the color of richness and royalty – using the color purple sparingly in certain areas of your home is common as a remedy to promote prosperity, wealth, insight and wisdom. It’s a color with a high vibrational frequency, and is commonly used in healing modalities like light therapy or meditation, as it has a calming effect in the lighter hues (think Lavender!). This color also reaches western practices, as Christian art depicts a lot of colors around Christ as purple… robes, Advent candles, etc.

I personally love seeing this color most in the form of crystals – I love Amethyst. Geodes, slabs, tumbled stones, you name it. Amethyst crystals are everywhere in my house…. but never too many! Favorites of mine includes amethyst candle holders. They fit the little tea lights and give off a really pretty glow… adds to the ambience J While it’s fun to look at, I’m most interested in the healing properties of this stone. It is believed to increase intuition, clarity and communication with angels. It is also known for its protective properties, and for promoting emotional stability and strength… in a nutshell, these make great gifts. Have a friend who needs a chill pill? What nicer way than to give them a nudge with a nice candle holder?!

The colors can range from a light lavender color to a deep plum hue. I prefer the lighter colors, and from an affordability standpoint, lighter hues tend to be less expensive. Win/win for me. It really is nice though – if not for any other reason, they are directly procured from nature, and it’s always good to have a lot of outside elements in your home…. Gotta get that high vibrational positive Chi going…. ya dig.

For more information about colors, Feng Shui and space clearing, make sure you check out Kristin’s site, www.kristinmwistar.com. Kristin is an interior designer, Feng Shui expert, dowsing and space clearing specialist… the credentials go on and on!

But back to food, all this rambling about purple has a purpose. This Cilantro Lime Red Cabbage and Apple slaw is just so good. I put it on everything…. It’s a nice light side salad when made with Vegenaise, it’s good on fish tacos, it’s good on a turkey burger…. And it keeps well. With all the food I make, it breaks my heart when it goes to waste because I am but one person, and I cook for 10. All the time. I just can’t help it. This tastes great the next day, after all the dressing has really soaked in. See for yourself!

Cilantro Lime Red Cabbage and Apple Slaw

Prep time: 25 min

Cook time:  —

Ingredients:

• 1 head red cabbage, sliced very thin
• 1/4 to 1/3 of a red onion, sliced very thin. If you are sensitive to onion, start with a little less. The best cut for this salad is to slice in half lengthwise from fuzzy to non-fuzzy end, then cut across so you get those nice half-circles
• 1 large gala apple, skin-on, cored and sliced very thin

(basically everything in this salad should be sliced paper thin. If you’re OCD like me and hate chunks of food, this salad will put you in your happy place)

For the dressing:

• ¾ cup mayo or Vegenaise
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar or other light/fancy vinegar
• 1 tsp honey
• Juice of one lime
• ¼ cup cilantro

Instructions:

1. Mix contents of dressing together in a bowl until emulsified… it should be thin like normal dressing. If it’s too tart, add more mayo or honey to taste… it should have some zip to it though, as it’s going to flavor the cabbage which absorbs a lot. Likewise – if not zesty enough, add more vinegar or lime.
2. Mix cabbage, onion and apple in a bowl together, cover with dressing. It’s best made ahead of time so it can marinate – it keeps well for lunch the next day, too!

Enjoy 🙂

-S