Warm Cabbage Salad with Sliced Almonds

It seems like summer is the time for mayo-y slaws to show up on every single pot luck or picnic table, which is fine, I like slaw. Ish. Okay, that’s not true at all, I have a really hard time with any kind of slaw that has a mayo base, nothing against mayo or cabbage, I just don’t like them together. But, I do like the crunchy cabbage-y deliciousness that the non-mayo part of a slaw delivers, so I put on my thinking hat and set to work.

This is actually a warmed up reinvention of a summery slaw salad my aunt makes all the time, and I really am loving the mix of textures and flavors.

Warm Cabbage Slaw with Slivered Almonds

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
a few shakes of red pepper flakes
1-2 teaspoons chicken broth paste, or 1-2 cubes bullion
1 medium head cabbage, sliced thin and broken up
1/2 cup raw or roasted sunflower seeds (without the hull)
1 cup sliced almonds
1 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Paprika, to garnish (or cayenne if you are adventurous)

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet with a lid, add the onion and garlic, and stir until translucent. Add red pepper flakes, broth paste or bullion and stir until dissolved (you may want to dissolve the bullion in a tablespoon of hot water first). Add cabbage, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for about 5-7 minutes, until the cabbage is a bit wilty, but still has some crunch. Add some water, if necessary, to get a little steam-action going. Stir in the sunflower seeds, almonds, salt, and pepper. Taste, add more salt if necessary (this will depend on what kind of broth paste/bullion you use, and how much of it). Serve sprinkled with some more sliced almonds and a dash of paprika.