Date, Feta, and Red Cabbage Salad

This cabbage salad is a wonderful side dish that adds acidity and sharpness to any meal. Eat it with some roasted chicken, on a pita with hummus, or toss it with greens and chickpeas to make a hearty salad.

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Serves 4-6 as a side

Ingredients

1 to 1 1/4 pounds red cabbage (1 small head or half of a large one), sliced very thin
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice (I use lime)
Salt and red pepper flakes (I used the mild Aleppo variety) to taste
About 1/2 cup pitted dates, coarsely chopped or sliced
4 ounces feta, crumbled into chunks
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons well-toasted sesame seeds

Preparation

Toss cabbage with olive oil and first tablespoons of lime juice, plus salt and pepper, coating leaves evenly. Taste and add more lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. I do this a few times, making sure I really get this base well seasoned because it will be hard to do it as well later.

Toss dressed cabbage gently with half of dates and feta. Sprinkle with remaining dates, then feta, then parsley and sesame seeds. Dig in.

Do ahead: The whole salad can sit assembled for at least an hour, if not longer in the fridge. You can also prepare the parts separately (feta, chopped dates, sliced cabbage) to assemble right before serving.