Cabbage Salad with Honey Mint Vinaigrette
One of the things that inspires some my recipes is eating at restaurants and trying new dishes. Last week, my husband and I ate at Motek Cafe in Miami, a restaurant we’ve loved for a couple of years. We tried their crunchy cabbage salad with mint vinaigrette for the first time and I knew I had to recreate it for the blog.
This salad is the perfect combination of crunch, zesty and fresh flavors. Shredded cabbage is tossed in a honey mint vinaigrette and mixed with a mix of toasted nuts and seeds. It’s an easy side dish to enjoy with salmon, chicken, or a summer barbecue.
I love how easy this recipe is to whip up, especially if you use a pre-cut bag of cabbage. You can jazz it up even more by seasoning the nuts and seeds with some za’atar spice, and throw in some of you favorite fresh herbs for a pop of greens.
What you’ll need for this crunchy salad
- Shredded cabbage– I used a 10 oz bag of pre-shredded cabbage. You can shred your own green and purple cabbage and carrots, or use a bag of coleslaw mix
- Nuts & seeds– I used a combination of cashews, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and almonds. Feel free to make it your own by using any combination of nuts and seeds you have around
- Honey mint vinaigrette– a zesty dressing made from fresh mint, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, garlic, dijon mustard and pinch of salt
Start by toasting the nuts in a pan on medium heat for a few minutes to brown them. For even more flavor, add your favorite seasoning like cumin or za’atar.
Then, simply blend the dressing in a small food processor or blender cup and massage it into the cabbage.
Make ahead and serve
This recipe can be prepared a few hours or up to a day before serving. I suggest mixing the dressing into the cabbage, but adding the nuts when ready to serve. You can toast them ahead of time and keep them in a small container or bag.
To make it a meal, serve it with my Falafel Veggie Burgers or Herbed Pearl Couscous and Salmon for a flavorful weeknight dinner.
What to serve with your cabbage salad:
Balsamic Chicken
Cilantro Lime Salmon
Avocado Chicken Wraps with Harissa Mayo
Cabbage Salad with Honey Mint Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 10 oz bag shredded green cabbage or coleslaw mix (about 4 cups shredded cabbage)
- 1/4 cup raw or roasted cashews
- 1/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
Honey Mint Vinaigrette
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup mint leaves
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- Pinch of salt
Top with
- Fresh chopped mint and/or parsley
Directions
- Prepare the honey mint vinaigrette by adding all of the dressing ingredients to a blender or small food processor and blending until smooth. You can also blend this using an immersion blender.
- Heat a small pan on medium heat and add in the nuts. Dry toast the nuts for about 3-4 minutes, mixing every 30 seconds to prevent them from burning.
- Add the shredded cabbage to a salad bowl and top with the nuts.
- Pour the dressing on top and using tongs or your hands, mix the dressing into the cabbage.
- This salad can be prepared up to a day in advance. If preparing ahead, you can mix the cabbage with the dressing, and add the toasted nuts in before serving.
My family loved this!
So glad to hear!
Had a hard time with my blender actually blending out the mint but the taste is very similar to Motek! Thank you for the recipe
So glad you tried it! An immersion blender works great for this dressing, too