And I am back. Back to my weird relationship with this city. Back to muggy, unbearable summer. Back to yearning for my next trip to Jerusalem.

However, one has to go on, right? Working and cooking. So, here I am with a new salad recipe inspired by two meals I had in the homes of Israelis. One in Jerusalem and one in Efrat. Both times I had a red cabbage salad made with soy sauce. I have never thought of that combination before. Both salads were good, but kind of boring. So, while walking home yesterday, I decided on an upgraded version of my own. Here it is:

• half a head of red cabbage – smallest
• half a head of white cabbage – smallest
• 2-3 scallions
• 2 carrots
• about 2 tablespoons of mixed sesame and flax seeds, roasted. You can use just sesame seeds, flax is for added health benefit

For the Dressing:

• 1 part rice vinegar
• 1 part toasted sesame oil
• 2 parts olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• Pepper to taste

I also added a few tiny mint leaves just because the strange mint plant that I now have on my windowsill finally refused to grow any longer, so I had to cut it.

Shred both cabbages very thinly by hand with a chef’s knife or a food processor. Dice the scallions and shred the carrots. Combine all the ingredients and in a separate glass container combine the dressing ingredients. Make sure to shake vigorously. Mix everything together, chill for just a few minutes and enjoy!