The Perfect Vacation Salad
Make it today, wherever you are
This is my favorite dish to make on vacation. It’s part salad, part slaw, and has a delicious crunchy topping. Today I’m giving you tips and tricks to make it during your weekend getaway (and how to use the ingredients you have to make it easy). Serve it with whatever you’re grilling up or throw it on top of a burger or a taco. You can even eat the leftovers as a snack with chips, if you don’t eat it all at once.
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My oldest has mailed us so many lists of things she wants us to bring her for Visiting Day, including fake nails and cupcakes for the whole bunk. (The cupcakes I was already planning to bring, obvs.)
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The Salad
The base of this salad is crunchy and packed with veg. Add purple cabbage if you have it or anything else you have in the fridge. Just remember your ratios!
1 head green cabbage - swap with 1 bunch dino kale or 1 head iceberg lettuce
1 red bell pepper
2 mini cucumbers
4 scallions
Optional add-ins: 2 carrots (grated), ¼ cup sugar snap peas, ¼ cup green beans, 2 tablespoons pitted Castelvetrano olives, 2 tablespoons crumbled feta (not a veggie, but for a salty bite)
Finely chop the cabbage, red bell pepper, cucumbers, and scallions. If you’re using more veggies, cut them all to be about the same size. Add all of the veggies to a large bowl.
The Topping
You can use any chopped nuts or seeds, crispy quinoa, or crushed tortilla chips instead—anything with crunch!
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Heat a small frying pan over medium heat and add the seeds and nuts. Cook for about 5 minutes, tossing occasionally, until they smell toasty and are golden brown on both sides.
The Dressing
The dressing you use for this depends on where you’re making it. If you don’t want to go out and buy miso paste and extra spices to use a small amount, simple vin is the way to go. If you have a more robust pantry, make the miso vinaigrette. Both are crowd pleasers!
Tip: If you don’t have a lemon juicer, poke the lemons with the tines of a fork and use tongs to squeeze them. This will help you get as much juice out as possible.
Simple - Simple Vin:
Juice of 2 lemons
1/3 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, grated with a microplane
1 tablespoon rice vinegar, white vinegar, or red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Zhuzhed - Miso Vin:
1/3 cup olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup white miso paste
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, grated with a microplane
1/2 teaspoon salt
Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth. Pour over the salad and toss well to get everything evenly coated.
To Serve
Serve as a side salad, with chips, or on top of a burger. I hope you love it as much as we do!
