Asian Cabbage Salad

Crunchy and nutty, this Asian cabbage salad is a mix of purple and green cabbage, carrots, peppers and cilantro with an irresistible almond ginger vinaigrette.

Even though it’s winter, my salad game is still going strong.

Of course, soups and stews loaded with vegetables do end up grabbing some of my attention, especially on subzero days.

But salads are definitely a year-round thing for me.

Going for hearty greens is a great way to winterize them.

Kale always ranks high on my list. I am never without a bunch in my fridge, so I can use it in salads or sauté it with pasta.

I doubt that there is ever such a thing as eating too much kale, but I do like break from my routine to keep things interesting.

Cabbage, a cousin of kale, brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli, is another fantastic option for a winter salad base.

What I love most about cabbage is that it’s very crunchy and fresh.

How To Prepare Cabbage

You will notice in this Asian cabbage salad recipe, I use both red cabbage and green cabbage—a half head of each.

I like the color and flavor of mixing both.

To shred the cabbage, I cut the halves in half, trim the stem at the bottom and then thinly slice them.

You will be amazed by the yield.

Cabbage leaves are densely packed together, so you will end up with way more in the bowl than you expect.

That makes cabbage a very economical salad leaf.

The Ingredients: Asian Cabbage Salad

Staying with that theme of crunch, I combine the cabbage with shredded carrots and red peppers.

For the carrots, I take the time to julienne them, which just means I cut them into matchsticks. This is what they look like when you buy pre-shredded carrots at the grocery, which would be fine, too.

I find that a food processor shreds carrots too thinly. A box grater does the same thing, and I worry that I’m going to scrape my hand by accident.

The peppers should also be cut to this matchstick size.

How To Make This Cabbage Salad

First, combine the cabbage, carrots and peppers in a large bowl.

To go with this salad mix, then I add some fragrant and aromatic ingredients.

They include sliced scallions and chopped cilantro.

I also stir in sesame seeds and almonds for a nutty crunch, and they link the salad with the almond ginger vinaigrette dressing.

The Dressing: Ginger Almond Vinaigrette

Usually, I am an oil and vinegar without much else kind of dressing person, but cabbage leaves can stand up to something more.

So I add almond butter, which makes it a little creamier.

The almond ginger vinaigrette also has minced garlic, lime juice, olive oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, and no surprise, fresh ginger.

It is citrusy and a touch salty and sweet bringing all the ingredients together.

Shortcut, Anyone?

I like this exact balance of cabbage, carrots and peppers.

But I know not everyone is confident in their knife skills. You can use a pre-shredded bagged coleslaw mix.

Then stir in the scallions, cilantro and chopped almonds before drizzling in the dressing.

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