Salads a great compliment to so many foods and can even be a wonderful meal on their own. The salad that I’m talking about here is a veggie filled chopped salad that could fit into both categories. It would be fabulous paired with a stir fry, some roasted chicken, or a big bowl of chili. But, add some crispy tofu or chicken to it and it turns into the main dish.
I love a salad with lots of great crunch. It can come in the form of great raw veggies, seeds, and one of my favorites: nuts. For this salad, I chopped up some raw walnuts from my in-laws’ tree. I toasted them on the stove top for a few minutes, then tossed them with some spices.
For this wintery salad, I thought a great honey-mustard dressing would be the perfect compliment. It’s a simple mixture of honey and mustard, of course (if you don’t do honey, try some maple syrup), along with some fresh squeezed orange juice, rice vinegar, and olive oil. I love creamy slaws and salads, but sometimes I want something a little bit lighter. This was perfect. I used what I had on hand for the rest of the salad: broccoli, greens, cabbage, radish, shallot, and chopped orange. You could totally substitute with carrots, cauliflower, and red onions. You could use leeks and any kinda greens that you think would taste good. It’s kinda like a cross between a chopped salad and an awesome coleslaw.
It’s great to take to a potluck, to enjoy alongside a grilled cheese sandwich at lunch, or to go with a tasty Chicken Pot Pie for dinner. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1½ C raw nuts (almonds, walnuts, pinenuts), chopped
- pinch cayenne
- to taste salt
- 2 C greens (kale, chard, spinach, mizuna), chopped
- 1 C cabbage, shredded
- 1 C broccoli or cauliflower, finely chopped
- 1 C radish or carrot, grated
- ¼ C shallot, leek, or red onion, minced
- 2 C orange, chopped (drained in a strainer to catch excess juice for dressing)
- 4 t dijon mustard
- 2 t honey (or maple syrup)
- to taste salt
- 2 T rice vinegar
- ¼ C orange juice
- 6 T olive oil
Directions
- 1Heat a dry skillet. Add nuts and toast for 3 minutes over medium-low, turning often. Toss with cayenne and salt and set aside.
- 2(If using kale, massage with a bit of salt and some olive oil, using hands, for 3-5 minutes.) Toss greens through shallot.
- 3Whisk dijon through rice vinegar, add orange juice that's drained from chopped orange and top up to make ¼ C. While whisking, stream in olive oil to create an emulsion. Taste for seasoning.
- 4Toss veggies with oranges and dressing. Top with nuts.
