Nutty Napa Cabbage Salad — The Renata Collective

As seen in my article on @YorkRegion: RENATA’S TABLE: Nutty Napa cabbage salad options unlimited

Here is a nostalgic, delicious Nutty Napa Cabbage Salad recipe with plenty of options. It can be a tasty side dish. Or, with added cooked chicken (left over or rotisserie store-bought), it becomes the main meal. Add other proteins of your choice and this go-to salad’s varieties are unlimited.

Whether this recipe evokes wonderful memories or you are new to this dish, you’ll be sure to love it!

Napa Cabbage is a nutrient-dense low-calorie leafy green vegetable, rich in vitamins C and K, and folate. It also supports immune, bone, digestion and gut health and with it’s high water content is a hydrating vegetable.

Sunflower seeds are good source of plant-based protein and are a rich source of vitamin E, magnesium and healthy brain supporting fat.

Sesame Seeds are a good source of plant-based protein, healthy fat and fiber, rich in calcium, copper, containing selenium, phosphorous, zinc and iron, thiamine, niacin and vitamin B6, also vitamin E and magnesium to support heart health and cholesterol levels.

Almonds are the highest in calcium of all nuts, also high in fiber, vitamin E and magnesium. Almonds help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease, and can help protect against diabetes.

So much great nutrition in this delicious salad!

Prep Time: 20 minutes / Makes: 3-4 servings. This recipe doubles well.

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons Butter or Non-Dairy Butter
1 Package Ramen Noodles – any flavour – you won’t use the seasoning it comes with
1/3 Cup Sunflower Seeds
1/3 Cup Slivered Almonds
1/4 Cup Sesame Seeds

Dressing:

1/3 Cup Olive Oil or Avocado Oil
1/3 Cup Organic Cane Sugar or Coconut Sugar
3 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar – alternate: apple cider vinegar for a stronger taste
2 Teaspoons Tamari or Soy Sauce
½ Medium Head Napa Cabbage
Generous Pinch of Sea Salt and Grinds of Fresh Black Pepper – to taste
Green Onions – chopped – optional topping when serving

How It’s Made

Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Break up the ramen noodles into small pieces. Add the broken ramen noodles, the sunflower seeds, silvered almonds and sesame seeds and stir until browned. Watch this carefully to not let them burn. Let cool.
Make the sauce – in a microwavable measuring cup or in a small saucepan on the stove top combine the oil, sugar, vinegar and tamari. Whisk to combine. You need to heat this to dissolve the cane sugar - in the microwave heat the mixture in 30-minute increments whisk after each time – 60-90 second should do it. In a saucepan, over low heat, whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool. If you use coconut sugar, it dissolves without this heating step – simply whisk well.
Remove any damaged or bruised outer cabbage leaves and cut the cabbage in half. You’ll use one half the cabbage for this salad. If it’s a large head of cabbage, use a quarter of it.
Wash the cabbage under cold running water and shake well to dry. If you have a salad spinner, wash the cabbage when you’ve chopped it. Remove the core and chop the cabbage into bite sized pieces.
In your salad bowl, mix the cabbage with the dressing and add the ramen mixture, tossing to mix everything together. Season with a generous pinch of fine sea salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper and toss again.
Serve topped with chopped green onion.

Enjoy!