Are you hungover on chocolate? And Thai food? And wine?

I am.

So today, you’re probably looking for a nice light recipe, right?

I have just the thing!

Especially if you’re in a salad rut.

Lately, I’ve become really sick of the large tubs of mixed greens and spinach. They all taste earthy. I had a bad run-in with beets a year ago, and anything with an earthy flavor makes me quiver.

A few types of leafy greens I never grow tired of: romaine, leafy red + green, kale, and butter lettuce

I also have a thing for cabbage. It’s such a nice change of pace.

So.

Crunchy.

This is a remake of a salad I recently had at The Empire Lounge, in Louisville, CO.

It was a brussel sprout salad with pecorino cheese + walnuts, that came tossed in a honey lemon vinaigrette. The best part was that it came piled high, just the way I like it.

So simple, but so pleasing.

I changed things up a bit, using cabbage instead of brussel sprouts. For a bit of softness, I mixed in green leaf lettuce as well.

The pecorino cheese really put this over the top, but feta or goat cheese would be excellent as well. If you’re looking for a little more pizzazz, I would suggest tossing in dried cranberries and/or chopped orange slices.

Lemon Honey Cabbage Salad with Pecorino + Walnuts

serves 4 side salads

4 cups green leaf lettuce, shredded
4 cups green/red cabbage, shredded
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1 cup pecorino cheese
salt + pepper

Lemon Honey Dressing

1/4 cup walnut oil
5 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1.5 Tablespoons honey
1/8 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
pinch of black pepper

In a dry sauté pan, set to med-low, toast the chopped walnuts for 4-6min until lightly browned. Stir frequently then set aside to let cool.
In a large bowl, combine the shredded lettuce + cabbage.
Toss with 3/4 of the cheese + 1/2 cup of the walnuts.
Whisk [or in a blender or magic bullet] all of the dressing ingredients together until well blended.
Pour desired amount over the salad and toss until evenly distributed.
Portion out and top with remaining cheese + walnuts, and a sprinkle of salt + pepper if desired.

tips/substitutions: Almond oil or olive oil will work instead of walnut. Most sharp, strong cheeses would work well: goat, feta, extra sharp cheddar, fresh parmesan, etc.