Cabbage & Pea Sprout Salad with Asian-Inspired Dressing (Vegetarian, Gluten-Free)

My to-do list this weekend was about a mile long, and I barely got through any of it. Sigh.

Cooking was kept to a minimum, house cleaning was non-existent, and blog work was way less than I had hoped.

However, we spent a lot of time with friends, got Dedas (our black lab) enough exercise (she slept through the night twice in a row!) and overall had a great weekend. I just need an extra day.

Our weekends kind of start on Thursday, when we do a hike and get tacos downtown with a couple friends. Friday morning is usually a bummer because I still have to go to work, but if I’m lucky it goes by quick.

Friday afternoon we spent the evening at our friends’ house drinking wine and eating one of the most amazing dinner party spreads I’ve ever had. I was the only vegetarian there, but everyone is into health/hippy food, so every single dish happened to be vegetarian and delicious.

One of the things I love about vegetarian food is that it often focuses on herbs and spices to make the flavors pop, as opposed to just adding butter and cream to everything to make it rich.

You can eat more, love it more, and not feel like you’re going to die afterward.

Like this salad: I can eat a whole head of cabbage for dinner and feel light as a feather afterward!

If I had the ingredients still sitting in my fridge, this salad would definitely be on the menu for tonight. It’s the perfect thing to make when you are out of time.

There’s only a bit of chopping involved before it’s all tossed together in a large bowl, and no need to marinate it all day before you can eat it. Just munch away.

It’s super crunchy, which I love, and is also really filling. This will serve 3 people for dinner just fine.

The dressing is a really simple mix of olive oil, sesame oil, a bit of rice vinegar, and some honey. Mixed together, it reminds me of the stuff that came in the Chinese chicken salad from Costco a while back.

Maybe I’m crazy, but that’s what pops into my head every time I make it.

Without the chicken, of course.

I put a whole tablespoon (!) of sesame oil in it because I love the stuff, but if you prefer it a bit less strong then by all means, decrease it to just a teaspoon or two.

Either way, make this dish. Your tummy and your taste buds will love you for it.

Cabbage and Pea Sprout Salad with Asian-Inspired Dressing

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★★★★★

5 from 1 review

• Author: Raquel Smith
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

A very easy yet delightfully tasty cabbage salad recipe. Perfect for busy weeknights or when you just want a light meal.

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Ingredients

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For the Salad:

• 1 small head cabbage
• 2 oz (about 1 handful) long pea shoots
• 3 stalks celery
• 1/2 cup chopped basil
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 3/4 cup roasted peanuts

For the Dressing:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce (or tamari if gluten free)
• 2 tsp honey
• pinch salt

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Instructions

1. Using a sharp chef’s knife, cut the cabbage in half through the core, then cut each half in half (so you have 4 quarters). Slice each quarter from the end very thin until you reach the core. Give the core to the dog (My lab, Dedas, loves them). Alternatively, you can use a mandoline to shred it.
2. Cut the celery stalks into 1/2 cm slices. Chop the basil and cilantro, then toss it all together with the cabbage and pea shoots in a large bowl. The pea shoots like to stick together, so this may take a couple minutes to get everything evenly distributed. Dump the peanuts on top and gently toss just a bit to distribute them.
3. Combine the remaining dressing ingredients in a measuring cup and mix well. Pour over the salad and toss to distribute. Serve with more peanuts on the side, if desired.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: N/A
• Category: Salads
• Method: Chopped
• Cuisine: Sides

Keywords: cabbage, peas sprouts, salad, vegan, gluten-free

Did you make and love this as much as I did? Let us know your thought in the comments below and please rate the recipe!

About Raquel Smith

Raquel is a whole foods enthusiast, an avid mountain biker, and a dog lover. She works by day at Food Blogger Pro and formerly maintained her food blog "My California Roots" (now merged into Foodal).

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