I don't buy lettuce at this time of the year because I can't get Ontario lettuce in the winter. That means making do with winter vegetables such as celeriac, Jerusalem artichokes and cabbage. Personally, I love cabbage, but my husband isn't such a big fan. When I was growing up we ate boiled cabbage every week during the winter and I actually have very fond memories of it, but I know I wouldn't be able to pass that off with him. He isn't particularly fussy about coleslaw either, but he's willing to eat it. Once in a while during the winter I make a cabbage salad in lieu of lettuce.

I've discovered that the trick to pulling this off with less than enthusiastic family members is to change the dressing from time to time. My husband loves miso, so I tried this miso based dressing and it turned out to be a big hit. It was really easy to make, and it lasted for a week in the refrigerator. You could use it as a sauce over cooked vegetables such as broccoli or cauliflower, or over rice as well. In this case I used a green cabbage because I couldn't get a savoy cabbage and then some onions and maroon heirloom carrots, which provided the slightly pink colour to the salad. I didn't bother dirtying a blender to make this dressing, I just put it in a jar and gave it a really good shake and it worked just fine.

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