~ "By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; Through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." ~ "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" ~ "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." ~ "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."~

Monday, March 7, 2011

Cabbage and Leek Salad...with Almonds

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Cabbage and Leek Salad...with Almonds. This is a really, really simple salad...and actually quite good for you:). I love using fresh leeks in salads, and this is a great way to use up the green part of the leek. Most recipes require you to use the white part of the leek and usually not the green. I remember earlier on when I first got married and was on my own...trying out new recipes. Some of them were recipes that I had seen my mom cooking at home. Recipes that weren't exactly written down. I would try my best to duplicate them...admittedly, sometimes I failed. But I would make a point to ask my mom for advise....she would always offer ideas and tips and let me know where I went wrong with a particular recipe. My mom was so creative when it came to using vegetables....especially since she grew most of them in her own garden. Her tomatoes were the best...so full of flavor, and they didn't taste anything like the store-bought version. She also had leeks growing in her garden, and when I lived close by, she would often give me a bundle or two....they weren't exactly the easiest to clean, but I liked to cut the green parts from the white part and stored them separately. It was easier to use that way. Sometimes I ran out of ideas on how to use the the leeks, but I remember my mom telling me to use the green part of the leek in salads. She always said it was best to eat any vegetable raw...well, most of them anyway:). Freshly picked if possible. In any case, I've been using leaks in my salads for quite a while now and just love it....
From time to time, I like to make the traditional Romanian cabbage salad...that's simply seasoned with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper... sometimes with dill. It's a great salad during the winter months, but I tend to make it all year long. This past week, I decided to vary the original salad by spicing it up a bit with some red jalapeno and added some un-toasted, raw almond slivers. I normally like to toast my almonds, but this time I was in the mood for a "raw" type of salad:). Since the green part of the leek has more of a bite to it, I think it pairs quite well with the cabbage. I like to sort of mix the cabbage with my hands for a minute or so... squeezing and pressing it down so that the cabbage can soften a bit. I will then add the rest of the ingredients.
You can definitely add your own variation to this salad.... toast the almonds, add some sesame seeds, a bit of sesame oil, etc. Feel free to adjust seasoning as well. I always taste and adjust to my preference, so the oil and vinegar amounts are just a guide. Always start with the smallest amount and go from there. However, I do find that cabbage salads generally take a bit more vinegar than normal leafy salads.
My husband and I loved this salad so much, that I decided to post it:). I am not sure if any of you remember the Chinese chicken salad that was quite popular in the 90's( at least that is when I was made of aware of it:))...the one that used the Ramen noodle soup packets along with the noodles that were toasted. This sort of reminded me of that version... except a bit healthier:). Hope you enjoy...
NOTE: You can make a meal out of this....simply add some cooked chicken breast.

You will need:

1/2 cabbage, finely shredded
2 leek leaves(the green part)
1 red jalapeno, seeds and veins removed( you can substitute it with a sweet red pepper)
salt to taste
2-3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
2-4 TBS apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup slivered almonds( you can toast them if you like)
a pinch of sugar(optional)
* variation...you can add a bit of sesame oil and sesame seeds, use rice wine vinegar.... You can also substitute the leek with green onion.

Directions:
1. Julienne the cabbage, leeks and pepper.
2. Mix together with hands so that the cabbage softens a bit...do this for about a minute or so. The more you mix, the softer the cabbage.
3. Add oil, vinegar and salt....pepper if you like.
4. Taste and adjust seasoning. I find the cabbage tends to ask for a bit more vinegar than normal salads.
5. Mix in almonds.
Tip: You can make the salad ahead of time and refrigerate it...add the almonds right before serving.

12 comments:

Steps said...

Oh, that looks so good! Thanks for sharing. I love the pictures!

Steps

Ellie said...

Thank you, Stephanie! And, you're welcome:)... Thanks for stopping by.

Unknown said...

Sounds great and refreshing.

megi said...

The salad looks so good, like everything else you make, the photos are gorgeous too! I use leeks often but always cook them, will definitely try this salad, probably tomorrow. Thank you Ellie.

Mihaela said...

Ellie, thank you for sharing this variation of the cabbage salad, it looks so good, and I am in a salad mood, for sure I'll give it a try!

Ellie said...

Jennifurla, Thanks for stopping by...

Megi, Thanks you... I do hope you like it :) I often use the leek instead of green onion...it lasts much longer too.

Mihaela, The nuts do make the salad!...it makes it nutty and so delicious...healthy for you too:). Thanks for stopping by.

Speranta said...

Arata foarte frumos...sunt tentata sa o incerc. Multumesc pentru reteta ...
:)

Ellie said...

Cu placere, Speranta. Sper sa iti placa si tie:)...este o bunatate cu almonds.

megi said...

Ellie, the salad was so yummy, very refreshing too! We had it with roast chicken for dinner, then I mixed the leftover salad with roasted chicken breast cubes and had that for lunch the next day, very good! Thank you for another delicious recipe and inspiration, all I want to do is bake these days so I need lots of inspiration for actual meals. :)

Ellie said...

That's too funny, Megi....and I need inspiration for baking:).
Just looking over some of your baking recipes yesterday:)...really impressed with your desserts and bread recipes. They look sooo good! Professional.
Am wanting to make a sourdough starter... I know you are a pro at that. I need to come over to see how you do that...
Oh,and I want to try the clementine cake...I've seen Nigella also has an orange/chocolate version... same sort of ingredients. Are you familiar with that particular recipe? Sounds really good... and well, having 2 versions is nice, too:).

Anyway, I am so glad you enjoyed the salad...thank you so much for the feedback. It does taste fresh ...especially in the winter:)

megi said...

Ellie, you certainly don't need inspiration for baking, everything you make is so beautiful, on my first visit to your site, I saw the spinach and feta layered Turkish bread, I was so impressed, bookmarked it right away, and I still haven't dared making it. I am looking forward to it though, maybe next week. :)

The orange chocolate cake is very similar the clementine cake, only with oranges and cocoa, of course more sugar. If you like the combination of chocolate and oranges, you would love it.

I answered you on my blog about the sourdough starter, it's really easy to make from scratch and it makes the most amazing breads. I rarely used commercial yeast since I started using a sourdough starter. I think you would really enjoy baking with it.

Ellie said...

Megi, Thank you for your kind words. The layered turkish bread isn't difficult at all...it does have 100% white flour, though I think adding some whole grain would work just as well...spelt would also be wonderful. The only thing is(as with all breads) that it does need a warm environment to rise. I am sure you will make it even better:)...would be interesting to try it with some sourdough starter, it might turn it into something even better:)
My husband and I love the chocolate and orange combination...I think one of these days, I'll try Nigella's cake.
I'll run over and see your comment:)...thanks for stopping by.