Kale and Cabbage Salad
I love this kale and cabbage salad. It is fresh, tasty, healthy and keeps beautifully! The best part is that it has so much going on, it easily makes a satisfying meal. Full of nutrient dense kale and cabbage, pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries, you can really sink your teeth into this one.
Kale is one of the greens that you should be including in your diet. Kale is a nutritional star! Full of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins B6, K, C, A and phytonutrients. It also has lutein, which is great for your eyes! Don’t be afraid to cook some kale too as it’s vitamin K levels increase a ton. I like to eat both raw and cooked to cover all my bases.
Just remember that kale is one of the greens that you should be buying organic as kale may contain organophosphate insecticides, which EWG characterizes as “highly toxic” and of special concern.
We all know that cabbage is one of the cruciferous veggies that are so good for us and purple cabbage has an even higher concentration of anthocyanin polyphenols, which are significantly more protective phytonutrients than green cabbage.
Mix up a big batch of this (the recipe makes a large batch). It will keep well for days.
Kale and Cabbage Salad with Creamy Honey Mustard Dressing
SERVES 6
Salad
- 3 bunches organic kale, de-stemmed and torn into bite sized pieces
- 1/2 head red cabbage, chopped
- 1/2 cup sliced scallions
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- In large bowl, toss together all ingredients. Pour dressing over salad and mix well.
Dressing
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 lemons, juice from
- 2 tablespoons honey (not vegan) or liquid sweetener of choice
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- Himalayan salt and pepper
- Place all ingredients in high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
Sara wrote on August 19, 2017
Wow, Susan….! Just made this to take to a summer party. I didn’t pick up the pepitas, so I decided to to crush some of the leftover cashews to throw on top of the salad, along with some reserved dressing. To give it a little color, I sliced some raw golden beets very thin on my mandolin. I know my friends will go crazy over this!
Susan wrote on August 30, 2017
So glad to hear. I love the idea of the beets. Cheers!
Marcia wrote on November 11, 2015
Are you using whole roasted pumpkin seeds or green?
Susan wrote on November 12, 2015
Hi, Marcia, The pumpkin seeds used in this recipe are raw. But if that doesn’t matter to you, you could use roasted. Cheers!
LeslieB wrote on June 21, 2015
Hi Susan,
Loved this tonight! Threw in the last of my dried cranberries AND dried cherries! I used more red cabbage than kale, as that was what was left; hate wasting my veggies : ) I was thinking that some finely chopped carrot would be beautiful as well in this salad. The dressing is so tasty! I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s lunch already! Thanks!
Gwen wrote on May 6, 2015
I had this salad for the first time today. It was so delicious that I called my sister over to try it.
Is there any way to get the nutritional information on this salad ? The calories, sodium, fat, and sugar amounts. And what is a serving size?
Susan wrote on May 7, 2015
Hi Gwen, There are many nutrition calculators that you can find on-line. You plug in the ingredients and the serving size and they will give you the information. They are rarely completely accurate but close. Cheers!
Iris Roesler wrote on April 11, 2015
Absolutely delicious!! I usually don’t like creamy dressings but this one is SO good. Love the cranberries and pumpkin seeds in it. I also added some sunflower seeds and dill. Yum!
Susan wrote on April 12, 2015
Hi, Iris! That sounds like a lovely idea! So glad you liked it. Cheers!
Sue wrote on December 25, 2014
This is an excellent recipe, and a reliable ‘go to’ for me – awesome creamy dressing! I have used a combo of red and green cabbage, if I don’t happen to have kale on hand, have substituted pomegranate seeds for the dried cranberries, and other nuts (walnuts, pine nuts or pecans) for the pumpkin seeds. It’s a very versatile recipe I find, that can adapt to what you have on hand! And I agree with a previous reviewer regarding giving the kale stems to the dog. My Westie loves those, as well as cabbage and other raw veggies….