I don’t want to call it a New Year’s resolution thing, because that means it probably won’t last, but I’ve been on a real salad kick lately. It is true, though, that at the start of the year, after late last year’s holiday indulging, Christmas cookies, and lots of drinking, you kind of need a detox come January/February. Big, colorful, and delicious salads are a great way to do that.
Salads sometime get a bad rap for being overly healthy, bland, devoid of flavor, blah, blah, blah. Sure, if you toss some wilted romaine with Ranch from the bottle, you probably won’t be super satisfied. But the great myth behind eating healthy is that you have to sacrifice flavor. There are so many great veggies (and fruits!) out there that have loads of flavor on their own, even without the dressing. But here’s the thing about dressing—take some extra time to make your own, and you’ll never buy a bottle of Ranch again. Mark my words..
let's talk about the veggies
Expand your world of salad greens beyond romaine, spinach, and kale. Although, those are all perfectly suitable bases for a great salad, there is so much more out there to experiment with. Take, for example, red cabbage. This reddish/purple brassica is a great veggie for adding some crunch to a salad. It has a peppery taste and looks oh, so beautiful with its bright pigment.
Now let’s talk dandelion greens–these are awesome, nutrition packed stems that are abundant in late winter and early spring. They have a bitter flavor, similar to kale or arugula, so it’s a good idea to mix them into a salad with other, sweeter flavors, like…mango!
Sweet, juicy mango chunks really balance out the pepperiness of the cabbage and bitterness of the greens, creating a nicely rounded flavor profile. Add even more pops of flavor to this salad in the form of scallions, cilantro, mint, lime juice, and sesame seeds. And creamy avocado adds some healthy fat and a soothing aftertaste.
time for the dressing
I’ve never been a big dressing person, as I’m typically happy drizzling some olive oil and balsamic over a salad to take the edge off. But when I do make a dressing, I’m always in awe at how much flavor it adds to a salad. For this recipe, I made a tahini-based dressing with lots of citrus, a bit of soy and ginger, honey for sweetness, and, of course, garlic.
It’s super easy to make–just whisk all the ingredients together and drizzle over your salad. The tahini gives it a creamy quality while staying away from dairy, and the other ingredients give it so much amazing flavor that really complements the different salad ingredients. Save this dressing recipe, and you can use it other salads, or even just a plain bowl of arugula to dress it up. Who ever said salads lack flavor?!
Enjoy this recipe, and I hope you find a way to add salads to your regular meal rotation. I promise you won’t regret it, and you’ll hopefully discover so many cool veggies to experiment with!
⟶ the recipe
fruity red cabbage & dandelion green salad
ingredients
For the dressing
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon honey
1 clove of garlic, minced
For the salad
6 cups shredded red cabbage
Bunch of chopped dandelion greens, long stems removed
1 mango, diced
1 scallion, sliced
1 avocado, sliced
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon freshly-squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Salt and pepper to taste
Prep time
10 minutes
Cook time
10 minutes
Total time
10 minutes
4 servings
instructions
Whisk the tahini, lemon juice, sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, honey, and garlic in a bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, dandelion greens, mango, scallion, cilantro leaves, and mint leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Toss again to combine.
Drizzle the dressing into the salad, and toss again until evenly coated. Arrange the avocado slices over the salad, drizzle with the lime juice, and sprinkle with the sesame seeds before serving.
⟶ make it ahead and store it
- Dressing can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and refrigerated in a tightly sealed container. Or double the recipe, and use the other half again later
