Lahano Salata (Greek Cabbage Salad) Recipe

When thoughts of a tangy Greek salad are dancing around in your head, but you're craving some extra crunch, this lahano salata recipe is the answer. Lahano, which means cabbage in Greek, adds a hearty twist to the standard Greek salad with the same great flavor, lots of crunch, and the simplicity of Mediterranean cuisine. The combination of fresh, earthy parsley and dill, zesty green onions, sweet shredded carrots, briny kalamata olives, and a bright lemon dressing delivers a refreshing salad bursting with the taste of Greece.

Wellness coach and recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this salad and says, "Thinly sliced cabbage is so satisfying in a salad and is often overlooked as a salad green. You can't go wrong with this easy 10-minute salad, and because we aren't using any delicate ingredients that won't hold up as leftovers, this salad is a great make-ahead option." The lahano salad works best as a side dish at dinnertime, though there's nothing stopping you from adding in some chicken and enjoying it as a main course.

To make this recipe, start in the produce aisle and pick up a small green cabbage, curly parsley, fresh dill, green onions, shredded carrots, and lemons. If you can't find carrots already shredded, you can use the grating blade on a food processor, use a hand grater, or julienne slice them. Then grab kalamata olives, and check your pantry for olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Cut the cabbage in half and cut around the triangle shaped core to remove it, then discard the core.

Slice the cabbage thinly either using a sharp knife or a mandoline and transfer it to a large bowl

Chop the parsley, dill, green onions, and halve the olives. Add to the bowl with the cabbage.

Add the shredded carrots to the bowl with the other ingredients.

Zest 1 lemon and juice both lemons.

In a small bowl combine the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Toss the dressing with the salad ingredients.

Serve the salad.

The Greek salad will pair with a number of entrees. In staying with the Greek theme, it goes well with any type of falafel that you can add right to the salad, or serve alongside these red lentil falafel sandwiches. For other protein options, roasted chicken with lemon and herbs, lamb kofta, turkey kofta kabobs, grilled Mediterranean tofu kabobs, herb crusted salmon, or Greek-style grilled pork chops would all be excellent pairing choices.

If you're more in the mood for a soup and salad kind of meal, a variety of soups make an easy pairing. Try a hearty lentil soup with celery, carrots, and tomatoes or a red lentil soup with lots of fresh lemon and thyme. A creamy tomato soup blended with fresh basil and cream balances well with the tangy salad, or a velvety roasted red pepper soup with garlic and fresh oregano is nice too.

Other classic pairings could be a Greek veggie wrap with hummus, sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, and feta cheese. Or a lamb gyro made up of thinly sliced lamb served in pita bread with tomatoes and tzatziki sauce. A simple caprese sandwich of fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, basil, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze is another option.

A mandoline is a very handy tool to have in your kitchen for slicing all types of ingredients with precision. The first step in slicing cabbage is to remove and discard the outer leaf. Then cut the cabbage in half and remove the center core. Cut each cabbage half, in half again, so you have four quarters. Mandolines come with several blade attachments, so choose the straight blade and set the dial to ⅛-inch.

Most mandolines come with a food holder that has prongs on one side that fit into whatever it is you're slicing. This protects your fingers from the very sharp blade. As an alternative to the food holder, you can also use protective gloves which give you a little more control. These don't usually come with the mandoline, but can be purchased online and are very convenient to have because not all foods will easily fit into the food holder.

Once you have your cabbage cut into quarters, the blade set, and your protective gear on, place the cabbage flat side down on the upper part of the mandoline and slide the cabbage down in a smooth motion. It won't take long for the area under the mandoline to become full of the shredded cabbage, so transfer that to the serving bowl to make room for more slices.