monday lunch | winter salad

Mondays are my get-stuff-done days: laundry, groceries, gardening, house-cleaning, cooking for the week, etc. I've been known to knock out a shocking list of household chores on Mondays... but some days, once the little dude is down for his nap, having a nice, healthy lunch is an accomplishment unto itself. The rest will get figured out after that.

This is the satisfying, seasonal and--dare I say--frugal lunch I pulled together a couple Mondays ago. Some red cabbage was tempting me with its vitamins and color... we have tons of apples... walnuts from the Fall... and some chicken from Saturday night's spatchcocked bird. And, for some reason I've been on a poppy seed kick lately, hence the dressing.

Truth be told, this is basically a cross between a slaw and a chopped salad, but it was really satisfying. And lunch isn't lunch lately without a toasted slice of home-baked seeded bread.

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Red Cabbage, Apples & Walnut Salad with Poppy Seed-Honey Dressing

Make the dressing:

Poppy Seed-Honey Dressing
(adapted from The Joy of Cooking)

1 T. honey
3 T. cider vinegar
1 shallot, minced
1 T. dijon mustard
1 t. poppy seeds
S&P to taste
2 T. olive oil

Whisk together in a small bowl. Yield: 2/3 c., which is enough for a number of servings.

For one serving, assemble the following base ingredients and dress with a couple of spoonfuls of dressing, or to taste, then toss well:

1 c. shredded red cabbage (a mandoline is key here: you want it very fine)
1/4 apple, thinly sliced
1/4 c. walnuts, chopped and toasted
1/4 c. shredded cooked chicken
1 T. crumbled blue cheese

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