Make Ahead

Creamy Kale and Cabbage Salad

July 29, 2013
5
1 Ratings
  • Serves 4 to 6
Author Notes

This light, creamy little salad comes together easily, but feeds a crowd and makes for perfect beach/picnic eats. The tahini-based dressing keeps the salad light, and the lack of dairy means that it both travels and keeps well.

Both the cabbage and kale actually benefit from an early prep, so dress the greens at least 30 minutes prior to serving. If possible, prepare the salad a few hours ahead of time and let it sit, as the flavors will meld together over time. If you'd like, stir in the hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, and the two types of tomatoes just before serving to preserve a nice texture to the salad.

I used all organic vegetables and seeds when making this salad. —Maja Lukic - Veggies & Gin

Test Kitchen Notes

I was a little nervous about this as I was mixing and tasting -- alone, the dressing was a bit sharp tasting and overly 'nutritional yeasty.' Together, however...that's another story! It definitely works. Next time I'll add something sweet -- like chopped apricots or figs -- for a sweet-savory take on the dish. As for my leftovers, they're going into a wrap with fresh mozzarella cheese and chickpeas. —wrobkymb

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Ingredients
  • Salad
  • 1 bunch Tuscan kale (preferably organic), stems removed and sliced into 1-inch ribbons
  • 1/2 Savoy cabbage, shredded
  • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick
  • 1 tablespoon shelled hemp seeds
  • 2 tablespoons raw shelled sunflower seeds
  • Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
  • Tahini-Dijon Dressing
  • 3 tablespoons organic raw tahini
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar (such as Bragg)
  • 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 6 tablespoons water
  • Sea salt, to taste
Directions
  1. First, prepare the dressing by whisking all of the ingredients together. Season with salt to taste, but note that the nutritional yeast alone can make the dressing quite salty.
  2. At this point, dress the shredded kale, cabbage, and bell pepper and let the salad sit for about 30 minutes.
  3. In the meantime, prepare the cherry tomatoes and the sun-dried tomatoes and measure your other ingredients.
  4. Stir the tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes into the salad and toss.
  5. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
  6. Top with sunflower seeds and hemp seeds. Serve immediately, or cover and store in the fridge for later use.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

3 Reviews

Taylor S. August 29, 2017
I made this again last night for my mother and I (she said she doesn't care for kale salads) and she loved this one!! I added olive oil and a good amount of salt to the dressing to give it more oomph. I didn't have cabbage or fresh tomato but I added thinly sliced dried apricots and toasted the sunflower seeds.
Taylor S. November 12, 2015
So tasty with the nutritional yeast! Next time I would add a bit of oil to the dressing so it coats the greens better. I made this salad with shredded savoy cabbage, curly kale, and lacinato kale as well as toasted sunflower seeds, diced apples, and raisins.
wrobkymb August 3, 2013
I was a little nervous about this as I was mixing and tasting--alone, the dressing was a bit sharp tasting and overly 'nutritional yeasty.' Together, however...that's another story! It definitely works. Next time I'll add something sweet--like chopped apricots or figs--for a sweet-savory take on the dish. Leftovers--they are going into a wrap with fresh mozzarella cheese and chickpeas.