As I think ahead of life with a newborn, even shorter daylight hours, and lack of time or energy to cook elaborate meals, I am leaning into building up my arsenal of beloved SIMPLE recipes. Not only for my sanity (though don’t get me wrong, I still loooove cooking regardless of the time it takes) but for my husband to be able to replicate. 

In fact, Nick and I just implemented a weekly “dad-in-training” night where Nick cooks one recipe from SipCookEnjoy a week. Selfishly this is great for me – helps me finetune my recipes and ensures the quality/clarity of the instructions. But it also builds up his confidence in the kitchen! If it were up to him, he would BBQ chicken, salmon, and broccoli for every meal… with only salt and pepper to flavor. Which is fine if you are on a strict diet but I know will not be satisfying for me post-partum. 

So each week we pick one recipe from the blog, he preps and cooks it, while I watch and answer any questions. Not exactly relaxing but hey, it’s a big step for a man who has been generously fed 5 nights a week for years. 

All that to say, this is one of those recipes that is super simple and is on the “Nick To Cook” list. I like to pick easy recipes with simple ingredients and minimal instructions. This is one of those. It’s also really delicious and the perfect pairing for that BBQ’ed chicken or salmon! Eat it standalone, eat it as a side with a protein, make ahead for weekday lunches, you name it. It’s versatile. 

My one hot tip is to personally top each serving with peanuts if you plan on saving some for later. Peanuts lose their crunch in the refrigerator so better to do it individually if you know you’ll have leftovers! 

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch dino kale

½ head of purple cabbage (or 1 package pre-shredded cabbage)

2 stalks green onion

1 bunch cilantro

1 fresno red pepper

½ cup salted peanuts

For the dressing – 

¼ cup rice vinegar

¼ cup sesame or peanut oil

3 cloves garlic

2 tbsp. Sugar

Salt & pepper

Serving Size: 4

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a food processor, pulse kale and cabbage until finely chopped. *Will need to do in batches. 
• Chop green onions, cilantro, and the fresno pepper.
• Whisk together the dressing ingredients. 
• Gently mix together all the salad ingredients and dressing. Top with peanuts. 
• Enjoy!