What can I say? This salad is ah-mazing! And beautiful! It’s sooo colorful! And filling. It’s its own meal. Or a fabulous side dish. Preparation is extremely fast (as long as you’re not photographing the entire process all while assuring your starving teenage daughter that it will be ready soon, knowing full-well you’re lying because you’ve still got at least three more stages to photograph before you get to your final plating and hope the good natural light lasts until then.)
I’m sorry. You’re hungry? Right. Moving along.
Lately I’ve gotten several very nice recipes off thekitchn website and appreciate they’re offering vegan-friendly fare. Their photography is always top-notch and I always enjoy perusing their recipes for the pictures if for no other reason.
I think my favorite aspect of this salad is the great blend of crunchy flavors that are enhanced by the very subtle vinaigrette you’ll be making to pour over the entire bowl. Oh – and this will require a large bowl; it’s a LOT* of salad. I’ve been giving mine away by the bowlful because I know we won’t be able to finish eating it before those pretty lettuce leaves start to wilt a bit.
I used a food processor to get my cabbage as thin as I wanted. You can easily use a knife to accomplish the same thing; it will stain your hands purple, though (#CabbageJoy). I prepped the rest of my vegetables and fruit with my chefs knife.
There’s not really any magic to this salad. Just prep your ingredients, dump them all into a big bowl, stir to combine and then mix your vinaigrette. Pour, stir, serve. Voila.
I served mine alongside my daughter’s favorite Boi Potatoes, but I didn’t think it needed anything to go with it. I also think this salad would be a beautiful addition to a potluck because it’s already got the dressing on it and you can easily place the pepitas in a small bowl for a self-serve garnish.
What are your favorite fast salads to use as a meal?
*It occurred to me that I didn’t follow the recipe (shocking) listed below. That’s why I got so much salad. I just eyeballed everything. SO. If you want a whole lot of salad and not just 4-6 servings, then chop up the entire cabbage (I used a very small head), the entire head of lettuce, and 3/4 of the cauliflower, and the entire bunch of green onions, and a couple of monster-sized carrots and a jumbo apple and you’ll need to use the biggest Tupperware bowl in your cupboard to contain it – just like me.
Otherwise, just follow the directions and you’ll end up with 4-6 servings that will likely fit into a lovely small dish.
