Fancy Apple Salad Cabbage Bowls are a take on the favored Waldorf Apple salad with walnuts, raisins and served in cabbage leaf. Fancy, healthy, delicious!
Cabbage
There’s cabbage and then there’s cabbage! In the cooler months of the year, always around holiday season, these gorgeous, oversized Savoy cabbage balls appear. I just had to showcase them!
I have never been a fan of cooked cabbage, but that’s just me. Most folks will say that cabbage tastes even sweeter when it’s cooked.
Brussels Sprouts, which remind me of cabbage, also needed a facelift for my tastebuds. I created Brussels Sliders with Chili Onion Jam to make them taste fabulous!
For holiday season, I wanted to create a salad that could also look pretty on the plate. Often a salad looks messy on the plate. I wanted this salad to have its own bowl.
Bowl? Oh yes! I will use the gorgeous oversized cabbage leaf as a bowl. It is perfect to hold the salad, adding parts of the cabbage to the salad as well.
Fancy Dining
Call me old fashion but unless a dinner gathering is a picnic or outdoor BBQ I love all the frills of a fancy spread. Fancy table settings, fancy food, even fancy attire. Why not, I’m just acting out my little girl ‘dress-up’ fun, as an adult.
Making cabbage look fancy on a plate was not something I thought I could accomplish. Then I realized how sturdy and beautiful the leaves are and would make for a whimsical ‘bowl’ on the plate.
Apple Salad
Having grown up with Waldorf salads, which are apples, nuts, raisins and usually mayonnaise, I stopped eating this because of the mayonnaise. Eventually I discovered how easy it is to make your own Mayonnaise, which I use Olive Oil in.
Apple salad now? Unless I make my mayonnaise, I now make an apple cider vinaigrette. Both options brought me back to making apple salads again and that was exactly what I wanted to serve inside the cabbage leaf.
Apple and Cabbage Salad Made Fancy
Why did it take me so long to realize how delicious apples and cabbage are together!
Toss in there some raisins for more sweetness, walnuts for more crunch and an apple cider vinaigrette. A splash of mustard and wow… just wow!
What To Serve With Fancy Apple Cabbage Salad Bowls
Apples are in abundance in autumn. Cabbage loves the cooler climate of autumn. With a host of special holiday gatherings that are celebrated during the months of October through the end of the year, I wanted a salad that could be menu versatile.
Of course a burger would be fabulous with apple cabbage salad in a leaf. It could even steal the show on the plate, but I wanted other dishes that are more common during end of year months.
Long story short, I created a fabulous Mac & Cheese Turkey Roll that gets wrapped in phyllo dough for the winter months. Much like my Mac & Cheese Crab Roll that I created for Food Network, which is frequent in our home in summer.
Want something healthy and pretty on your Thanksgiving table? If you serve family style, simply place several of these cabbage bowl salads on a platter. Set it on the table. Individual servings are even easier, to just put on the plate with turkey.
How To Make Fancy Apple Salad Cabbage Bowls
Preparing the cabbage leaf to be used as a bowl is the first step. These Savoy cabbage balls are large and hearty. Once the center stem and core are carefully cut out, the outer leaves come loose quickly.
The center, tighter bundled leaves, are very tender. Be sure to chop those into bite-size chunks to go into the salad. Raw Brussels sprouts can also be used instead of the center cut of the cabbage.
Mix the vinaigrette into a jar with a lid and set it aside. The vinaigrette has lemon juice to keep the apples from turning brown. An added apple cider vinegar, to pair well with the apples in the salad. Olive oil and a splash of mustard to add another dimension of tang to the flavors.
In a large mixing bowl, simply mix the salad ingredients with the vinaigrette, toss and portion into the beautiful cabbage leaf bowls.
Ingredients
- Apples
- Savoy Cabbage
- Walnuts
- Raisins
- Salt & pepper
- Garlic
- Lemon juice
- Olive oil
- Apple cider vinegar
- Mustard
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Small jar
- Sharp paring knife
- Mixing spoon
Fancy Apple Salad Cabbage Bowls
Course: Salads and VeggiesCuisine: AmericanA Waldorf apple salad with walnuts, raisins, shredded cabbage and a cider vinaigrette served in a cabbage leaf, never looked so fancy!
Ingredients
Apples – 2, shredded or chopped
Cabbage – 3 cups for salad
Cabbage Leaves – 1 per person
Walnuts – 1 cup
Raisins – 3/4 cup
Salt & pepper to taste
Garlic – 1 clove
Lemon juice – 2 tbsp
Olive oil – 2 tbsp
Apple cider vinegar – 1 tbsp
Mustard – 1 tbsp
Directions
- Carefully cut the core out from the cabbage. Remove as many large leaves as possible. Set these aside until the salad has been mixed. If not serving right away, carefully stack the leaves and store in an airtight container.
- In a small container with a lid, mix the lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, crushed clove of garlic and mustard. Place the lid on and give a good shake. Set aside until salad is ready to mix.
- Decide if you want the cabbage (or Brussels sprouts), shredded or cut into bite size cubes, then cut both the apples and tender cabbage center the same for continuity visually.
- In a large mixing bowl, place the cut apples, cabbage, raisins and walnuts. Give a light toss. Shake the vinaigrette once again and drizzle across the salad while gently tossing. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Place the mixed salad evenly into each large cabbage leaf and set on a platter or individual plates being served.
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.
