Cabbage Salad with Charred Lemon Dressing & Grated Walnuts
This salad is plant based, packed with protein from easy steamed edamame, filled with crunch from green cabbage, and smothered in a bright, light, and creamy charred lemon dressing. The entire thing can be made in minutes, with minimal cooking on your end. The finished result is a light, filling salad that is perfect for portioning out throughout the week.
Equipment
- 1 small blender
- 1 stainless steel pan
- 1 mandolin optional
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice or brown rice
- 1/2 cup raw, unsalted cashews
- 1 cup frozen edamame beans
- 1/2 large head of green or savoy cabbage
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves plus more for garnish
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves plus more for garnish
- 1 lemon for zest and juice
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 3-4 large walnut halves for grating
Instructions
- Prepare the rice according to package instructions. Set aside.
- Add the cashews to a small, heat-proof bowl and cover them with boiling water. Let these soak while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
- Either in the microwave or on the stovetop, thaw the frozen edamame and set aside.
- Core the cabbage, and using a mandolin, slice it as thinly as possible.
- Chiffonade cut the basil and mint, reserving a few leaves for garnish.
- Add the cabbage, edamame, and herbs to a large bowl. Grate in about 2 teaspoons of lemon zest.
- Halve the lemon and place a small pan over medium heat. Char the lemon by cooking it on the pan, cut side down, for 4-5 minutes or until it is dark and almost burnt looking. Remove from the pan.
- Scoop the charred lemon's insides into a small blender, trying to remove the seeds as you go. Drain the soaking cashews and add them into the blender along with 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, a generous amount of black pepper, and 1/2 cup of cool water. Blend until smooth and season with salt and pepper as desired. Depending on your tastes, this might need a lot of salt to balance out the lemon!
- Pour all of this dressing over the cabbage salad. Toss everything to coat. Add in red pepper flakes and black pepper flakes as desired.
- To serve, portion the rice into four bowls, then top with a generous serving of slaw. Using a microplane or zester, grate the walnuts on top, it should look like parmesan cheese. Top with herbs to garnish, then serve.