Citric Acid Free Cilantro-Lime Edamame Cabbage Salad
This vibrant, crunchy salad is the kind of bowl that makes you want to eat your vegetables — layers of shredded green and red cabbage, tender edamame, julienned carrots, and fresh cilantro all come together in a way that feels genuinely exciting. The dressing is where the magic happens: fresh lime juice, tamari, honey, grated ginger, and garlic whisk into something bright and deeply savory without relying on any processed acids or additives. For anyone navigating a citric acid restriction, bottled dressings and packaged salad kits are almost always off the table, since citric acid shows up as a preservative in so many of them — but here, every single ingredient is whole and straightforward. The lime juice provides all the tartness you need, naturally, and the tamari keeps things savory without any hidden additives to worry about. Letting the salad rest for ten minutes before serving is a small step that makes a big difference, softening the cabbage just enough to soak up all that flavor. A final scatter of dry-roasted sunflower seeds adds a satisfying crunch that rounds out every bite. It's the kind of salad that works as a light lunch, a colorful side, or an easy make-ahead option for the week.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the salad
- 3 cups green cabbage, thinly shredded
- 2 cups red cabbage, thinly shredded
- 1 ½ cups shelled edamame, thawed if frozen
- 2 medium carrots, julienned or coarsely grated
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced (green parts only)
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup dry-roasted sunflower seeds
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp tamari
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- 1
In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded green cabbage, red cabbage, edamame, carrots, scallion greens, and cilantro.
- 2
In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, tamari, honey, grated ginger, grated garlic, and red pepper flakes, if using, until the dressing is smooth and emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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