I probably went overboard at the farmer's market this past trip, seeing as Matt was going to be away and I've been eating dinner at my parents' house for the past few days. I bought half a head of red cabbage with no real plans for it, so when I came across this salad at 101 cookbooks I knew what I was having for lunch today.

I finally pulled the last beet from my garden (I had grand plans of growing a lot this year then canning them, but I lost interest and ended up only planting a few) so I added that to the mix.

Inspired by 101 cookbooks
Makes about 4-6 side dish portions

1/4 cup sunflower seeds
sugar
fine sea salt
olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 head red cabbage, halved again and thinly sliced
1 large beet, peeled and shredded
balsamic vinegar

Toast sunflower seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden. Sprinkle on about 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon sugar and a couple pinches of salt. Stir until sugar melts and coats the seeds. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil. Add shallot, garlic, and a pinch of salt and saute for a minute or two. Add the cabbage and shredded beet, along with a few more pinches of salt, a light sprinkling of sugar (if desired) and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Cook and stir until softened. Fold in the toasted sunflower seeds, taste and season with more salt if necessary.