Sometimes as I gaze into my huge (sometimes cluttered) fridge looking for something to eat, I ask myself questions to jump-start my brain to help me figure out what I am going to make to feed my constantly rumbling tummy (anyone else suffer from Stomachus Rumblingous Constantous? Okay, good!).
My internal dialogue usually goes like this…
Hmmm, cabbage… do you like cabbage? (yes)
Do you feel like turning on the stove? (no)
So, you like to eat cabbage raw? (yep!)
What tastes good with raw cabbage? (carrots and cucumber!)
Do you love Thai food? (yes)
Do you have all the fixin’s for Thai peanut sauce? (ummmm, is that even a question?)
How about you make Thai Cabbage Salad? (*lightbulb moment*)
So that is how I came about making this Thai Cabbage Salad over the weekend!
Thai Cabbage Salad starts with… cabbage. I found this beautiful red cabbage at the farmer’s market and had to buy it, but green cabbage or a mix of both can be used too! It’s all about your preferences – but if you think that both colors of cabbage taste the same (like me), I would suggest buying the red cabbage… it adds a big oomph of color in the final product.
Also note that I cut the cabbage into big strips, which make this more like a “salad”. If you want to shred your cabbage, it’ll be more like a “slaw” (which isn’t a bad thing at all!).
On top of the cabbage, I piled lots of other veggies in different colors and textures.
Crunchy carrots cut into match sticks (if you are going the “shred” route with the cabbage, I suggest you shred the carrots too!), yellow bell pepper sliced into thin strips, finely chopped cucumber half-moons, and some thawed shelled edamame (fresh soybeans – probably my favorite addition). The edamame provide a good amount of protein (a half cup of edamame provides 8gm of protein!), so this is a great dish for vegetarians and vegans.
Then all that’s left is to add in the delicious peanut dressing.
If you have a mini-food processor or a good blender, it comes together in a minute. Peanut butter, soy sauce, ginger, rice wine vinegar, honey, lime juice, and siracha come together and provide a deliciously light dressing that enhances the flavor of the veggies. Yummy!
All that’s left is to toss it together.
And serve it alongside your favorite grilled meats (like this Thai-marinated grilled chicken).
I hope you enjoy this easy salad, kiddos!
Your cabbage obsessed friend,
C
- For the salad:
- ½ a medium head of red cabbage, sliced thinly (or shredded)
- 2 medium-sized carrots, cut into thin match-sticks (or shredded)
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- ¼ large seedless (English) cucumber, halved and sliced into thin half-moons
- 1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
- For the dressing:
- 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 1½ tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon of siracha – can add more or less depending on how spicy you like things
- Juice of one medium-sized lime
- Water
- In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, cucumber, and edamame.
- In a mini-food processor or in a strong blender, combine all the dressing ingredients except for the water. Blend to combine. Add in the water (between 1-2 tablespoons) to reach the consistency you want (I like my dressing a little on the thin side, but you can make it as thick as you want!).
- Pour half of the dressing over the veggies and toss to combine. Add more dressing if the salad seems too dry.
- Serve immediately with your summertime grilled favorites – Enjoy!
- Note: You can double the dressing recipe and reduce the amount of water you use if you like a thicker “coleslaw-style” dressing coating on your salad.
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