I called out to my Facebook followers this afternoon asking whether they’d prefer me to post a salad or dessert today and surprisingly the jury was divided! Sorry to those who wanted dessert but I went for my Cabbage, Apple & Pomegranate Salad. Hopefully you won’t be too disappointed with my offering…
I know some might not think a salad appropriate for this time of year, but I beg to differ. Salad can be satisfying all year round in my book. I love my roasted roots too but even in the winter sometimes I feel like something a little fresher and don’t want to turn on the oven. This salad uses all seasonal ingredients- cabbage, apple and pomegranate, and the rich, nutty dressing with just a touch of ginger is naturally warming.
Aren’t those pomegranate seeds beautiful?! I’ve had pomegranates many a time but each time I open one I can’t help but marvel at how gorgeous they are. Those sparkling, jewel-like seeds clustered together….perfection in nature!
I wonder if you know about the amazing technique to easily seed pomegranates without creating a gigantic mess? Remove the seeds underwater! You just crack open the fruit, submerge it in a bowl of water and gently pry the seeds out with your fingers. The seeds will sink and the pith will float so you can easily skim it off. For full details see here.
The dressing is what really makes this salad sing. I did a lot of taste-testing while making it but luckily still had the perfect amount to generously coat everything. I added hemp seeds mainly for the health benefits but they also provide creaminess together with the almond butter. They do have a distinctive taste which I know not everyone’s fond of, so if you’re one of those people feel free to use another 2 Tbsp of almond butter instead. Adjust ginger to taste as well.
Ingredients
- 1/2 Medium-sized head of green cabbage, shredded
- 1/4 Red Onion, very thinly sliced
- 1 Medium Eating Apple, thinly sliced (tossed in juice of 1/2 a lemon)
- 1/3-1/2 C Pomegranate Seeds
- 2 Tbsp Almond Butter (mine is unsalted, if you’re is salted you may like to decrease or omit salt listed)
- 2 Tbsp Hemp Seeds
- 1 Tbsp Agave Nectar
- 1/4 C Fresh Orange Juice
- 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1-2 tsp Minced Fresh Ginger
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- Black Pepper
Instructions
- Combine cabbage, onion and apple in a large bowl. Tossing the apple in lemon prevents browning and adds a touch of tang to the salad.
- Blend all the dressing ingredients together until smooth. If using only almond butter than you can whisk this together by hand.
- Add the dressing to the salad and toss well. I used all of it but, depending on the size of your cabbage, you may not need it all.
- Remove to a serving dish, top with a few grinds of black pepper and scatter over the pomegranate seeds.
- Enjoy!
Do you eat raw salads all year round? Favourite uses for pomegranate seeds? I’ve got plenty of seeds left!
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I love pomegranate seeds on winter salads and this is beautiful, I expect the dressing tastes awesome!
Thanks so much Vicky! I don’t think I’ll ever get over how beautiful pomegranates are! And yes the dressing is super yummy.
I eat salads all year - they are. My favorite and help me to get my greens in! This looks delicious - and pomegranates are season, so totally fall/winter approved!
Glad you agree on the salad front! And yes with the seasonal ingredients I didn’t think I would have anyone complaining 😉
I just cut open a huge pomegranate last night and have 2 whole cups of arils! I am open to suggestions on how to use them as well.
I eat a giant salad every day for lunch, all year round. I like to add pomegranate to mine as well. I am loving the flavor profile of that dressing, and the addition of apple sounds perfect. I will be making this soon for sure.
I completely forgot that the seeds are officially called “arils”- such a lovely word!
I didn’t realize how much the fruit would yield but I love pom with chocolate so I’m thinking of making little chocolate coated clusters or using them to top a chocolate chia pudding or smoothie…
I saw this salad earlier on instagram (so happy we are connected there too now 😉 - and it just looks soooo beautiful! absolutely agree with you that pomegranate seeds are so beautiful and I also love to decorate my food with them. I just sprinkle them over anything 😉
The recipe sounds perfect, I will need to try it - it’s full of superfoods, pomegranates, hemp seeds, apples…. Thanks so much for sharing!
So happy to connect with you on ig too Sylvia! This salad is perfect for the “superfoodista”! x
This looks amazing. I never worked with pomegranates before (or cabbage as a salad 😉 ) bit this one will be put om the list.
I suppose cabbage as a cooked dish is pretty common in the Netherlands? You should definitely try it raw as a salad. So crunchy and satisfying, especially with a creamy dressing.
Well, yes it is, but we ourselves hardly ever eat it (I cooked with cabbage once, somewhere last summer). My mother-in-law grows them organically, so I really don’t have a good reason for not eating them… How’s that for a new year’s resolution?
This looks lovely! It’s perfect salad weather here in Australia too
I also appreciate that tip on pomegranate seeds - Jamie Oliver always says “just bash them with a spoon and the seeds will pop out” but mine never do without a lot of mess!
Definitely try this technique. It’s a life-changer! Ah yes, I bet it’s beautifully warm in Australia right now….
Pomegranates are awesome! I always wondered how to remove the seeds properly until I found the tip about doing it under water. It’s really great. I love how all of your recipes always look so bright and colourful. Nobody would guess it’s winter:)
I’m trying to kid myself!! Thanks so much for your lovely compliment Mihl.
Emma, this is ABSOLUTELY perfect! I’m trying to eat more raw, low glycemic foods right now & this is is just gorgeous.
Also, your photography is stunning. ox
Thank you Janae! I’m trying to do more raw right now too. I love raw food so it’s not a hardship but holiday baking is luring me in! x
Do I eat salad all year round? ummh, DUH! And this one looks very appealing! Beautiful, beautiful pictures, the pomegranate seeds really give a sparkle to dish salad. I’m sold, I must try this one soon
Hope you do! Pom seeds definitely add a little “sparkle”!
I used that pomegranate trick yesterday, brilliant! I usually end up with it all over the wall and myself so this was an improvement.
Haha, I remember that well! Glad it worked for you
Lovely and delcious as always!
Thanks Suzanne
that is one gorgeous salad. i was just wondering what to do with the pomegrante sittingon the counter since the past week
I wonder what you did with your pomegranate? It’s like opening a treasure chest to reveal an array of glimmering jewels cracking into one!
Emma, I am partially obsessed with pomegranates this season; they’ve had the most gorgeous, giant poms on sale at my local market this past month so I’ve been stocking up. I was just marvelling the other day, while de-seeding one, how the seeds look so much like little jewels; they’re like these precious itty bitty gems you’re rewarded with for forging through all that peel and pith.
With my stock of arils, I’m always on the lookout for ways to use them up, and this salad looks PERFECT. (I love nut based dressings.)
That looks so pretty!!!
I am craving cabbage now… I though I’d never say that 😉 lol
xoxo
Wishing you a Happy Holiday Season 😉
Wow! It looks lovely, and what an fantastic idea for a dressing! I’ll have to try this soon!
I hope you do! I really loved the dressing.
beautiful salad - I agree with you about the pomegranate ariels - I love hemp seeds but find them so expensive here that I baulk at the cost - when I was in the UK last year I found them more reasonably priced
Thanks Johanna. I think hemp seeds are actually getting cheaper here now they’re more widely available. What a pain that they’re so expensive with you
If you do want to try this then an extra 2T of almond butter would work absolutely fine instead of the hemp.
I love salads! I realised a few weeks ago that I was feeling very heavy from eating such sturdy winter foods (especially Scottish food, you can imagine…) and so I promptly made a salad. It was SO GOOD. And filling, too. I’d love to share it on my blog but I’m saving it for my next book. This one looks really pretty and the dressing sounds just lovely.
A good salad can really do it for me! I can imagine all those wintry soups and stews up North…
All the components of this sound perfect together! There are pomegranates everywhere around here lately and I’m sad I haven’t taken advantage of them more.
I know! I’m often late for all the seasonal fruits and veggies and then they’re gone!.
So that’s how to open pomegranates without spray the seeds all over the floor and juice up the wall! Thanks for sharing the tip!
Your salad looks absolutely beautiful and I can just imagine how refreshing it tastes. Definitely pinning this one to try over the holidays. Thank you so much for sharing it ♥
Glad I could teach you something useful! That technique is definitely the way to go for pomegranates, I used to get completely splattered!
Thank you for the compliments on the salad, I’d love to hear if you do make it.
This is so incredibly delicious! Just had this with dinner, usually I am making healthy changes to recipes, but this one didn’t need any. (: The only change I made was to use dried cranberries instead of pomegranate arils. My boyfriend said this was the best slaw I have ever made!
I found your website through a google search which brought me to your sweet potato patties (which are awesome). There are so many things I want to make! Thank you for the wonderful recipes!
Thanks so much for your comment April! I’m thrilled you loved the salad. I’m pretty crazy about that dressing too
Hope you stick around or subscribe for updates, and do let me know if you make anything else.
Your website is beautiful! I love salads (as you can see per my name: enSALADes) and this pomegranate recipe just looks divine
Have a lovely Sunday!
Thank you/Gracias/Merci! How cool that your site is in 3 languages- I studied French and Spanish at university so it’s especially fun for me 😀