Quick Hit: Crunchy Salad with Buttermilk Dressing

I'd been meaning to make this salad and dressing from Smitten Kitchen for a while. The dressing just looks so creamy and good, the salad so crunchy, and Deb is so emphatic about her love for this salad combo, I bought radishes at the market, and we had tons of extra celery around the house as Mikki and I had each bought a bunch at the same time, and I bought iceberg lettuce from the grocery store instead of cabbage -- I know, it lacks any nutritional value, but the crunchiness of that iceberg just drove me to do it! -- and off I went.

Napa Cabbage Salad with Buttermilk Dressing

1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
1 pound Napa cabbage, cored and thinly sliced crosswise (4 cups)
6 radishes, diced
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced diagonally

Whisk together buttermilk, mayonnaise, vinegar, shallot, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl until sugar has dissolved, then whisk in chives.

Toss cabbage, radishes, and celery with dressing.

Crunchy. Creamy. Totally awesome. The radishes give it a peppery zing, the dressing cools it right down, the iceberg lettuce and celery just crunch right up. Love it.