Asian Chopped Crunchy Salad

Serves 2 (This recipe can be doubled.)

Recipe from Rachel Meltzer Warren The Smart Girl’s Guide to Going Vegetarian via Meatless Monday

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

We found this colorful salad to be very refreshing and filling.  It was easy to make too.  To make preparation easier, I only measured the dressing ingredients.  I just “eyeballed” the salad ingredients. Make this salad for your next Meatless Monday lunch.  Use agave nectar instead of honey to make this dish vegan.

For the dressing:

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons honey or agave nectar

pinch of salt

For the salad:

3 cups chopped romaine lettuce

½ red bell pepper, sliced into strips

¼ cup chopped snow pea pods

½ cup shelled edamame, boiled or microwaved according to package directions

2 Tablespoons roasted salted cashew pieces (I used unsalted cashews.)

1 small orange, peeled, segmented, and cut into bite-sized pieces

1 Tablespoon chopped scallions

2 Tablespoons chopped water chestnuts

1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted

¼ cup crispy wonton noodles (optional)

In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.

In a medium bowl, toss together the lettuce, red pepper, pea pods, edamame, cashews, orange slices, scallions, and water chestnuts.

Distribute into serving bowl and drizzle with dressing to taste.

Garnish with sesame seeds and wonton noodles.

Nutrition Information per Serving

Calories:  324; Calories from Fat:  141; Total Fat:  16g; Saturated Fat:  2g; Cholesterol:  0mg; Sodium:  386mg; Dietary Fiber:  7g; Protein:  9g; Sugars:  13g; Vitamin A:  34%; Vitamin C:  119%; Calcium:  10%; Iron:  14%

Red Cabbage Slaw with Lemon-Ginger Vinaigrette

   

Serves 6-8
Recipe from Raising the Salad Bar by Catherine Walthers

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Quite honestly, I didn’t have all the actual slaw ingredients in my fridge when I made this.  I just had some red cabbage left over from another recipe and needed to use it up.  So, I mixed it with shredded carrots, scallions, and toasted sesame seeds, whipped up the vinaigrette and put it all together for a quick slaw to have as a nice side dish for lunch.  Including the snow peas and red pepper would definitely take this up a notch to party fare for company, but the vinaigrette is just so good that it makes a simple cabbage/carrot combo taste terrific. Serve this with burgers, steak, fish or even grilled tofu. (Pictured here with Stuffed Squash with Bulgur and Feta served with lemon wedges and fresh kiwi.) 

Slaw Ingredients

4 cups thinly sliced red cabbage (about ½ head)

1 red bell pepper, cored and cut into very thin strips

1 large carrot, peeled and shredded

1 cup blanched snow peas, strings removed and sliced into thin strips

3 scallions, thinly sliced

2 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, for garnish and crunch

Lemon Ginger Vinaigrette

1 Tablespoon raspberry vinegar or rice vinegar (I used raspberry vinegar.)

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger (I cheated and used minced ginger from a jar.)

4 teaspoons maple syrup or honey (I used maple syrup.)

3 Tablespoons canola oil or sunflower oil (I used sunflower oil.)

1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil (Make sure it’s the toasted kind.)

In a large serving bowl, toss the slaw ingredients, except the sesame seeds, together.  Add the vinaigrette to the slaw just before serving and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.  (This slaw tastes quite good even after it has been chilled a day or two.)

Notes:  You could substitute chopped unsalted roasted peanuts for the sesame seeds.  You could also add a cup of blanched broccoli florets for variety.  To make this a main dish, mix in 1 to 2 cups of cooked shredded chicken.