Crispy Cabbage and Chickpeas with Tofu Sesame Dressing

Photos, recipe, and pottery by Allie Stack.

Allie Stack is an Asheville based ceramic artist who makes functional, brightly colored pottery with whimsical drawings often depicting items from our daily lives. To learn more about her, visit her website at: www.alliestackeramics.com and find her on instagram at: @allie.stack

Ingredients

• 1-2 heads of cabbage, depending on size - for this I used one small napa and one small green cabbage. Cut into quarters, keeping the core in tact so it does not fall apart 1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinse 

• 1 package silken tofu 

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil 

• 1 tablespoon tahini 

• 1 tablespoon white miso 

• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 

• 1-2 tablespoons soy sauce, depending on how salty you want it 

• 1-2 tablespoons chili crisp, depending on your spice level. For this recipe I used Chengdu Crunch by Fly By Jing - it is a mixture of nuts and seeds in chili oil. 2 tablespoons sesame seeds 

• 2 garlic scapes, cut on a bias 

• 2 scallions, cut on a bias 

• Olive oil for cooking 

• Salt and Pepper 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 425 (or your air fryer). Arrange chickpeas on a lined sheet tray, drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper and bake for 15 minutes, until crispy. 2. Add oil to a large pan and set over medium heat. Add cabbage quarters and cover for 3 minutes 

2. Remove cover and turn heat to medium-high. Sear each side of the cabbage until crispy. Remove from heat 

3. To make the sauce, add silken tofu, sesame oil, tahini, miso, rice vinegar and soy sauce to food processor and pulse until a smooth sauce forms 5. Arrange cabbage quarters on a platter and drizzle generously with sauce, top with chickpeas, then chili crisp, then sesame seeds and garlic scapes and scallions. Enjoy! 

Bonus recipe

This makes more sauce than you need.. The following day I cooked ramen noodles, cooled them and mixed them with this sauce. Then I chopped carrots, radishes and cucumbers into matchsticks and finely chopped cabbage - I added this all to the ramen, topped with chili crisp and that’s it! Yum!