Kohlrabi & Cabbage Slaw

Kohlrabi & Cabbage Slaw

The inspiration for this meal was easy. I was overtired, hot and hunched over weeding hundreds of kohlrabi plants. I find that when I'm the most miserable at the farm I come up with the best recipes. It's crazy, but I'm pretty sure 75 precent of the recipes on this blog were born out of heat exhaustion and delirium. Go figure! If you aren't familiar with kohlrabi it's a member of the brassica family. It has a mild broccoli flavor with the consistency of an apple (in my opinion). It tastes great raw as well as cooked. The greens are edible too but they take a while to sauté. Since I wasn't in a cooking mood I saved the greens so we could toss them into an egg scrambled for later. This salad was definitely a highlight to our afternoon after the temperatures almost reached 100 degrees at Tumbleweed Farm. A few people have asked if we take afternoons off when the heat is too much to handle. The answer is no. Unfortunately, this time of the year the farm is extremely demanding and we cannot afford to neglect Tumbleweed during the heat of the day. Moving irrigation around has become a part time job. And when we aren't doing that we are busy keeping up with our seeding schedule and daily chores. With all of that being said, we are really good about taking evenings off to relax and eat dinner together. I usually come in an hour and a half before Taylor so I can prep dinner and photograph it (if it's something I want to share on the blog). Winding down for the day is really a sacred time and we have a special routine that includes an ice cold beer, sitting down and doing absolutely nothing for at least an hour. We always have to go back out to the fields before bedtime so we can put the chickens in, close the greenhouses, and turn off irrigation. It's not bad though. Once the sun starts setting our spirits are high again. There is nothing better than knowing we get to go to bed and start from scratch the next day. I'm sure you all can relate. A new day is always full of promise! This salad highlights some of my favorite flavor combinations and is a super light and refreshing side dish. If you are in need of a go-to salad to bring to a dinner party this summer I think this is going to be it! Kohlrabi can be found at most farmers markets and grocery stores. If for some reason you cannot find it you can sub broccoli stems (just julienne the stems and toss them with the cabbage). I hope you all enjoy this salad as much as we do. Pour an ice cold beer and dig in!

Kohlrabi & Cabbage Slaw with Tahini-Lemon Dressing

Prep Time: 15 mins.
Cook Time: 0 mins.
Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 medium sized kohlrabi, stems and greens removed
  • 1/2 a head of green cabbage
  • 1 large bunch of parsley, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 1 small ripe avocado, diced
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste
For the Tahini-Lemon Dressing:
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 2-3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • a small handful of very finely minced parsley
  • 3 Tablespoons water + more to thin if necessary
  • pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Prepare the dressing by combining all the ingredients and blending with an immersion blender or regular blender until smooth. If the dressing is too thick add a splash of water. If the dressing is too thin add a little more tahini. Taste test and adjust seasonings as necessary.
  2. With a mandoline or a sharp knife slice the kohlrabi into thin rounds. Then stack the rounds and slice into thin matchsticks.  Cut the cabbage into 1/4-inch-thick strips
  3. Place the kohlrabi and cabbage in a large salad bowl. Add parsley, raisins, avocado, crushed red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Drizzle in the dressing and toss until well combined.

Notes

*use this recipe as a guide *adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary *always taste test as you go

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