Crunchy, a little savory, a little sour, and a little sweet!
I love a salad with lots of interest! A salad that serves as a meal needs to have a lot going for it in my book – color, texture, a variety of flavors, and a good balance of sweet, salty, sour, and savory, with perhaps a little bitter thrown in to make it interesting!
I am in love with some beautiful lavender colored Napa cabbage I find at a local farm stand. It is tender and sweet, and it’s full of nutrients. To this I added a bitter element, just a bit of Belgian endive (chicory) to make it a little more interesting. A thinly sliced sweet onion provided some pungency.
A little more crunch
Of course, I needed both chewy and a crunchy elements (even more crunchy than the cabbage), so dried cranberries and nuts came to the rescue! And for a fresh, vibrant pop of flavor and texture, a beautiful fresh of the season apple!
I wanted the dressing to be as delightful as the salad elements, and because I have my new stash of local fresh ginger, that was my starting point! Lime, garlic, and a bit of maple syrup livened this up!
Put the salad ingredients together ahead of time, but don’t dress until you are ready to serve. This is a cabbage salad that does not keep well because of the tenderness of the Napa leaves, so only make what you’ll eat for the meal.
Napa Cabbage Salad with Ginger Lime Dressing
- 1 head Napa cabbage
- ½ purple onion, sliced thinly
- 1 apple, diced
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup chopped nuts
- 1” knob ginger, finely grated
- 1 clove garlic, finely grated
- Zest of one lime, finely grated
- 2 tbsp. fresh lime juice (1 juicy or 2 stingy limes)
- 1 tbsp. maple syrup
- Salt and pepper
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Mix together all the vegetables, cranberries, and nuts in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, or canning jar, combine the dressing ingredients and whisk, or shake, well to combine. I always use the canning jar because it does a great job!
If you make this ahead of time, put the apples in with the dressing (to keep from discoloring) but don’t mix it all together until you are ready to eat.
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Napa Cabbage Salad with Ginger and Lime Dressing
When I saw the picture, I was wondering how you turned the Napa cabbage lavender. As I read through the post, I saw the Napa cabbage came in a lavender color. It is very attractive! I have never seen a lavender Napa cabbage before.
I hadn’t seen the lavender version before last summer when I found it at a local stand. It is just a tad more tender than the green, and has great flavor.
Oooooooh i love what you did here! Love the cranberries and onions together. And what beautiful cabbage!
Thank you Mimi! I adore both dried cranberries and dried tart cherries, their flavor and their texture.
Delicious. And the plate the salad is on complements it perfectly. Pretty.
Thanks Ally! I have a fondness for that particular plate!
love this recipe! and the plate is so pretty!
Thank you, it’s one of my favorites!
Ooh, that ginger-lime dressing sounds divine. 🍃🍈
I haven’t seen the purple Napa cabbage it seems like purple veggies are coming to the forefront…A delicious combination of ginger and lime 🙂
Thank you, it is tasty! Always love that combination. Purple veggies are indeed everywhere, and they pack more nutrition than the originals, or maybe they were the originals!
Purple carrots are the original.. I don’t know about the purple napa but purple cabbage when cooked takes on a slight vinegar taste which we really like.. I also prefer purple sweet potatoes to the orange ones a little more dense in tecture but I really like them 😊
I like the purple sweet potatoes more than the orange ones as well, they are not quite as sweet! I love purple potatoes as well, plus, in addition to the nutrient boost, they are really pretty.
We are quite similar in our tastes… They look so lovely on the plate..