Lemony Cabbage Salad with Za’atar and Tahini

Ah, cabbage. If there’s a poster food for the pandemic, it’s cabbage. Not only does one head of cabbage last an extremely long time in the fridge, but it’s extremely nutritious and good for you. Hell, it’s even good for dogs! Cabbage can do no wrong!!!!

Our go-to cabbage dish during quarantine was my sesame cabbage salad but this week I was craving mediterranean and the only vegetable we had in the fridge was…you guessed it….a head of green cabbage!!!! And that’s how I came up with this surprisingly delicious dish. Yes, it surprised me because it seemed too easy to taste this good.

I want to quickly note that if you don’t like lemon, you won’t like this salad! So all my lemon haters, feel free to make my cabbage with chorizo or my sesame cabbage salad instead, because this is not for you. If you’re wondering what it tastes like: we’ve got that crisp, crunchy cabbage that tastes zesty, acidic and bright from a blend of lemon and white wine vinegar. Of course we salt and dress with olive oil accordingly. And you better believe we add lemon zest on top for more lemony-ness!!!! Finally, to tie it all together and bring some depth of flavor, we mix in some za’atar which is a strong, beautiful Middle Eastern spice blend. The final (optional touch) is a drizzle of tahini on top or a dollop of hummus to add some creamy richness. In the photo below, I served it on a bed of hummus and topped it with my Mediterranean turkey meatballs. I know you can’t really *see* the salad, but it’s there and this is a winning combo that you must try!

Here’s the za’atar spice blend that I have. Tip for buying spices: buy them in bags so you don’t have to pay an extra $3 for packaging!