Chase the Flavors

Something I love about cabbage salads is that they can be dressed ahead of time, making for an especially convenient lunch option. This salad marries textures crunchy and creamy by bringing together cabbage, goat cheese and avocado dressing. The goat cheese takes on the feel of a creamy pesto or romesco sauce with the ground walnuts. It's wonderful on it's own with crackers or sliced vegetables, but who can resist goat cheese and avocado dressing? Happy Spring! -Mallory

Red Cabbage Salad & Walnut Goat Cheese
Serves 4
4 cups red cabbage, chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
4 ounces goat cheese, softened
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/2 cup arugula, chopped

Avocado Dressing
Makes 2/3 cup dressing
1 avocado
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
salt and pepper

Pulse the toasted walnuts in a food processor until coarsely ground. Transfer to a small bowl and add goat cheese and lemon juice. Mix until well combined, then refrigerate until serving time.

Make the dressing in a food processor or blender by combining avocado, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic and sesame seed oil. Process until smooth, season with salt and pepper, then slowly stream in up to a 1/4 cup of water, until the dressing reaches your desired consistency. Dress the cabbage, sprinkle with sesame seeds and top with walnut goat cheese and arugula, or other peppery greens.

Some of my favorite salads are an outgrowth of leftovers. This salad came to life when I had an excess of cooked lentils waiting for a meal, but I keep returning back to it because I love the mix of textures and the way the caramelized sweetness of the roasted turnips works with the tahini dressing. I also enjoy that this salad falls in the category of satiating salads that happen to be meatless.

Roasted Turnip & Lentil Salad
Serves 4
2 large turnips, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
dash of salt
1/2 cup dried red lentils
1 cucumber, diced
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
6 cups mixed salad greens

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly coat chopped turnips with olive oil in a small mixing bowl. Season with a dash of salt and spread out on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes, stirring half way through to caramelize multiple sides of the turnip. Remove from oven and set aside.

While the turnips are roasting, cook the dried lentils. Bring the lentils and 3 cups of water to a boil over medium-high heat in a saucepan. Lower to a light simmer and cook until the lentils reach a desired tenderness, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

Assemble the roasted turnips, red lentils, cucumber, feta and parsley on a salad of mixed greens. Dress with tahini dressing.

Tahini dressing
Makes 1/2 cup dressing
2 tablespoons tahini
1 lemon, juiced
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons honey
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
2 tablespoons olive oil

Whisk together tahini, lemon juice, salt, honey and garlic in a small bowl. Whisk in oils and 1/4 cup of water. Dressing is refrigerator friendly for a few days.

-Mallory