When the universe sends cabbage your way, it’s time to pay attention

Sometimes, the universe is trying to tell you something.

On Monday morning, as I looked through The Spokesman-Review’s wire service offerings for stories to run in today’s Food section, I saw a piece from the Washington Post from writer Jim Webster that served two purposes. First, he announced he was taking over the Post’s weekly vegetarian cooking newsletter while colleague Joe Yonan goes on leave. At the end, he shared a recipe that I knew I had to make for my daughter, who is home from college and a vegetarian – a colorful cabbage salad with oranges, cashews and a soy-ginger dressing, adapted from a recipe by Wolfgang Puck.

The article wasn’t going to work for the Food section, but I emailed the recipe to myself to try at home.

When I opened up my email a few minutes later, I realized what the universe was trying to tell me: eat more crunchy greens. Because in my inbox was my daily New York Time Cooking newsletter, titled “In Defense of Cabbage.”

In the newsletter, Times food writer Melissa Clark talks about the struggle she has getting her family to eat cabbage, a vegetable she loves. She linked to a few cabbage recipes, including Scrunched Cabbage Salad with Fried Almonds, Roasted Chicken with Caramelized Cabbage, cabbage rolls and kimchi.

For many people, cabbage is most closely associated with St. Patrick’s Day, as in corned beef and cabbage. It’s already moved into a prime shopping location at my local grocery store, now that the holidays are behind us. Personally, cabbage is my green of choice in burritos and tacos, because lettuce wrapped in warm foods is, well, gross.

The cabbage is among those cruciferous vegetables like Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower and radishes that pack a nutritional wallop. As the folks at WebMD point out, “Half a cup of cooked cabbage has about a third the vitamin C you need for the day. It also gives you doses of fiber, folate, potassium, magnesium, vitamins A and K, and more.” It’s good for inflammation, digestion and your heart. Fermented, as in sauerkraut or kimchi, it offers a big dose of probiotics to keep your gut healthy and happy.

So why wait until St. Paddy’s day?

Scrunched Cabbage Salad With Fried Almonds

Any green cabbage works well as the base of this salad; varieties such as napa and Savoy will be slightly more tender than standard cabbage, so pick which one you like best. Substitution options are nearly endless. The original recipe by chef Wolfgang Puck featured chicken and called for radicchio instead of the red cabbage, and mango instead of orange. – Jim Webster, Washington Post

For the dressing

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons mustard, preferably Chinese or Dijon

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon sesame paste, may substitute tahini

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon chili oil, or more to taste

½ cup peanut oil, or another neutral oil

Fine salt (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

For the salad

8 ounces (¼ medium head) green cabbage, finely shredded (4 cups)

2 ounces (⅛ small head) red cabbage, finely shredded (1 cup)

1 head romaine lettuce, roughly torn

½ small red onion (2 ounces total), thinly sliced

1 medium carrot, scrubbed and coarsely grated

½ cup crispy wonton strips, divided (may substitute crispy chow mein noodles)

1 medium seedless orange, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces and divided

½ cup roasted, unsalted cashews, divided

Sesame seeds, white or black, for optional garnish

Make the dressing: In the bowl of a food processor or in a blender, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, mustard, honey, sesame paste or tahini, ginger and chili oil. Pulse several times to combine, then, with the motor running, slowly add the peanut oil and process until the dressing is emulsified. Taste, and season with salt, pepper and/or more chili oil, if needed. You should get about 1 cup.

Make the salad: In a large bowl, toss together the green and red cabbages, lettuce, onion, carrot and half of the wonton strips until well distributed. Add half of the dressing and toss until well coated. Add half of the orange pieces and half of the cashews and toss lightly to combine.

Divide the salad among 4 plates and garnish each portion with the remaining wonton strips, oranges and cashews, and the sesame seeds, if using. Serve with the remaining dressing on the side, if desired.

Storage notes: The dressing can be kept refrigerated for up to one week.