Kale and Red Cabbage Salad with Sesame Dressing

WOW! Let me say it one more time, WOW! This is another one of those "ideas" we try that end up being so darn good we don't even know what to say about it. And best of all, it's super healthy!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 head red cabbage, julienned
6-7 stalks of kale, stems removed, julienned
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup yellow tomato, diced
1 cup fresh corn kernels, from grilled ears of corn** (or 1 cup frozen)

Dressing:
1/2 tsp French Made Easy
1/2 tsp Sassy Salad
4 tbsp hemp oil*
2 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp water

DIRECTIONS:

The magic of this salad is the dressing. And let us be the first to say, it might be the best sesame-based salad dressing ever! We make all our dressings in a clear squeeze bottle similar to the yellow or red bottles you've used to squeeze out mustard or ketchup onto your hotdog. If you don't have one, any mixing bowl will work, but go to your local kitchen supply store and buy a couple of them. They are very handy to have in your kitchen.

If you are going to use fresh corn and grill it, do that now! Soak you ears of corn in a little water while your grill is warming up. Place the ears of corn, with husks, on the grill and give them a good char - about 10 minutes over pretty HOT coals. Remove them from the grill and let them cool to touch. Peel back the husk, then place the top of the ear of corn in a large bowl. Grab a sharp knife in one hand and hold the corn with the other, then slice down the side of the husk, removing the kernels of corn. (If you prefer to use canned corn, get frozen corn instead! It taste better because it if frozen as soon as they cut it off.)

While the corn is on the grill, the next thing you need to do is make the dressing so it has time to chill and release all of its flavor potential! Combine all ingredients listed above, shake to mix well. Taste to ensure its goodness, then chill it! Now, this dressing is a bit "strong" by itself, but once the rest of the ingredients mix with it, you'll see that it's perfect.

Now, you want to toast your pine nuts. Just grab a saute pan and place it on your stove top. Turn the burner to medium and warm the pan. Add the pine nuts to the pan and keep an eye on them. Stir them a few times, make sure to toast all sides to a light brown. Remove from heat and let cool. Don't make the mistake of keeping them in a hot pan; they will continue to brown if you do and they might get too burned for your liking.

Rinse and slice up the kale and cabbage. Dice the tomatoes and remove the kernels off the ears of corn. Now, if you didn't have time to grill up some ears of corn then you can always use frozen or canned corn. Just make sure to drain the liquid first if you use canned corn. Combine all ingredients, toss to mix well then add half of the dressing and let it sit in fridge for 20-30 minutes so the kale and cabbage absorb the dressing a bit.

When you are ready to serve, add the rest of the dressing, toss and serve. You can use this dish as a side dish for holiday events, bbqs or any meal in your house! It's that good. Give it a shot and let us know your thoughts!!!

Don't be afraid to experiment also. That is a HUGE part of the fun with our blends! You can take the basics above and add/remove anything you want to the salad. Like avocado - use some! Prefer some onions - add them! You get the idea.

* Olive oil or hemp oil will do.
** We used 2 ears of corn that we grilled, with husk, for about 30 minutes. Soak ears of corn in water first, then place directly on grill with husks.