When I was a kid my Mom used to make a napa cabbage salad for BBQs and family parties that I l loved!
The dressing and the crispy topping are what made the salad. However, both sort of brought down the health factor of this salad. I’m not saying you should never enjoy the things you love but I always like to give my favorites a little healthy upgrade so I can eat them more often!
One of the best ways to get more nutrients into your daily diet and enjoy what you eat is to recreate your favorite things in a healthier more nutrient-dense way. So I have recreated a childhood favorite into a healthier version of this Sweet and Tangy Napa Cabbage Salad.
The salad dressing for the original salad had A LOT and I mean A LOT of sugar! Again, sugar in moderation and in something you love is ok sometimes but I hate to make a healthy salad and then douse it in a sugary dressing. Especially when it’s so easy to swap white sugar out for something like honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar or ditch the sugar in all forms altogether and use something like erythritol. I love using powdered Swerve in this recipe because it mixes in perfectly!
The crunchy topping for the original salad was made mostly of ramen noodles. Not all but most ramen noodles have gluten and other ingredients I don’t love. You can easily use ramen noodles if you eat gluten or grains or try gluten-free ramen noodles but I personally love this recipe without them. Instead I use sliced raw almonds that get toasted in good quality butter. They give you the same yummy crunch and saltiness but from a whole food instead of a processed noodle.
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!
- 1 medium head of napa cabbage
- ½ cup of olive or avocado oil
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- ¼ - ½ cup of sweetener of choice (i suggest starting with ¼ cup and adjusting to your prefered sweetness) honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, powdered erythritol (Swerve).
- 2 tablespoons grass fed or French butter
- 1 cup of sliced or chopped raw almonds
- ¼ cup of sesame seeds (I like to use a mix of white and black)
- ½ tsp pink salt
- Optional: Chicken or protein of choice
- Optional Toppings: Chopped Green Onions and/or Fresh Chopped Cilantro
- Wash and thinly chop napa cabbage.
- Make dressing by adding all ingredients to a mason jar or bowl. Use an immersion blender to mix well or a spoon/whisk.
- To make the crunchy topping melt butter over low to medium heat and add almonds, sesame seeds, and pink salt. Cook until golden, constantly stirring to ensure the mixture does not burn. Once golden immediately transfer to a bowl as it will continue to brown in the pan once you turn off the heat.
In Love, Health + Gratitude,
Katie