With the lovely fall season coming right around the corner, I knew it would be the perfect time to prepare one last summer salad to finish off the hot and heavy time of year with a bang.
Featuring some red cabbage, collard greens, persian cucumbers, seasoned shredded carrots, a bit of fresh North Carolina blueberries, and crushed pecans all topped with a tasty and homemade lemon pepper vinaigrette – it was a huge hit when surprising a loved one for a date night dinner at the apartment recently.
I am not the kind of guy to make a salad on the regular, but it is one of those meals that you can literally do whatever the heck you want with and always ends up being the most fulfilling side dish for any dinner or even an entree for a fancy lunch.
Ingredients:
- 1 Chopped Red Cabbage
- 4 Cups of Chopped Collard Greens
- 4 Persian Cucumbers (regular cucumbers work as well)
- 1 Cup of Blueberries
- 1/2 Cup of Crushed Pecans
- 2 Cups of Shredded Carrots
- 1/2 Cup of Freshly Minced Garlic
- 1 Tablespoon of Avocado Oil
- 1 Teaspoon of Smoked Paprika
- 1 Teaspoon of Oregano
- Dash of Salt and Pepper
Ingredients for the Lemon Pepper Vinaigrette:
- 3/4 Cup of Lemon Juice (or about 6 squeezed lemons)
- 1/4 Cup of Dijon Mustard
- 2 Tablespoons of Avocado Oil
- 1 Tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/2 Teaspoon of Coriander
- 1/2 Teaspoon of Onion Salt
- Dash of Pepper
Get started by chopping up all of your veggies including the gorgeous cabbage and collard greens.
Dice up the cucumbers into little cubes, shred your carrots, and mince the fresh garlic.
Add your cabbage, collard greens, cucumbers, and blueberries into a very large bowl and give it a good mix.
For the carrots, simply heat up a saucepan on medium heat with the avocado oil.
Allow the pan to heat up a good bit – then toss in your shredded carrots along with the paprika, dried oregano, and dash salt and pepper.
Give it a good stir, then set it aside while you prepare the salad dressing.
For the salad dressing, simply grab yourself a small bowl and whisk together the lemon juice, avocado oil, apple cider vinegar, coriander, onion salt, and pepper until everything is fully incorporated.
Plate up this salad by sprinkling on the crushed pecans followed by the sauteed carrot mixture and the delicious lemon pepper vinaigrette!
Plant Sugar Kitchen 