Tag Archives: salad

Chinese Chicken Salad


I love a good Chinese Chicken salad, but some of the ones you find on restaurant menus are simply unjustifiable! Huge, loaded down with sugar, nuts, and fried wonton strips or Chinese noodles, they can hardly be considered healthful.

But fear not! This version, adapted from Cook This, Not That has all the flavor without the unwanted health hazards. There are a few critical ingredients, like toasted sesame oil that give this salad its recognizable Asian flavor. Just opening a bottle and smelling it takes you right to the kitchen of your favorite Asian restaurant. I personally like my chicken warm on salads, so that’s how I recommend it in this one. If you put your chicken on to grill or broil when you start the salad, by the time it’s cooked, you’ll be ready to add it to a nearly complete meal. And a delicious one at that.

Pair this with a good crusty bread and a glass of wine and pretend you’re at Spago back in the 80’s where this whole Chinese Chicken Salad craze was born…


Chinese Chicken Salad
adapted from Cook This, Not That
 
serves 4

Salad 
1 head Napa cabbage, shredded
1/2 head red cabbage, shredded
1/2 packet stevia sweetener (like Truvia)
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 c. sliced almonds, toasted
1-2 chicken breasts, grilled or broiled, thinly sliced – ideally still warm!
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped 

Dressing
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
3 Tbsp. canola oil
1/2 packet stevia sweetener (like Truvia)
Freshly ground black pepper

1. In a large bowl, combine both cabbages with the sweetener and toss to coat.  Stir in the oranges, green onions, almonds, chicken, and cilantro (reserve 1 Tbsp. of cilantro for garnish) and toss to combine. 
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and toss to coat thoroughly. 
3. Portion salad onto four plates and garnish with reserved cilantro.

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Festive Bean Salad (aka Texas Caviar)

If you’re looking for a delicious and healthy recipe to take to a Fourth of July celebration this weekend, this one fits the bill! You may already be familiar with Texas Caviar since there are a million variations of the basic recipe in circulation. This party favorite is essentially a marinated bean salad/salsa that is fiber rich and also sugar-free thanks to the stevia substitution I’ve included here. I usually serve this with baked tortilla chips but feel free to experiment with whatever suits your taste.

As for the name….you can rest assured that there is no actual caviar in Texas Caviar! The dish apparently was created by Helen Corbitt, a famed 1950’s food consultant who was the head of food service at Neiman Marcus in Dallas. I found this recent article which gives more of the history if you’re interested. If you’d rather just cook it…well, then, read on!

Festive Bean Salad (aka Texas Caviar)

serves: many

Ingredients:

1 can black eyed peas

1 can pinto OR hot chili beans

1 can black beans

1 can garbanzo beans

1 16 oz bag of frozen corn (or 2 c. of fresh corn cut from the cob)

1 small jar chopped pimento

1 medium Vidalia onion, diced small

1 c. diced red, green or yellow peppers

6 finely diced jalapeno peppers (seeds removed)

3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

Dressing Ingredients:

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 Tbsp. water

3/4 c. apple cider vinegar

1/2 c. canola oil

10-15 packets of Truvia sweetener OR 1 tsp. PURE Stevia powdered or liquid extract

Baked tortilla chips or other chips of your choice

Directions:

Drain and rinse the first four ingredients in a colander or strainer. Transfer to a large bowl and add next 6 ingredients. Set aside.

In a saucepan, bring the dressing ingredients to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Pour over beans and vegetables and stir to coat. Let cool in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (up to 24). Drain most liquid before serving with chips.

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Avocado Salad with Carrot-Ginger Dressing

Photo credit: SmittenKitchen.com

You know that fabulous ginger dressing you’re always served with your small salad at a Japanese restaurant? The one that is so fresh and tastes so amazingly perfect on the few simple greens it’s covering? This is even better than that.

Apparently, it originated in one of Gwyneth Paltrow’s GOOP.com newsletters…and then was adapted by one of my favorite food bloggers (whom you can check out at SmittenKitchen.com) …and now here it is from me to you!

The first time I made this I didn’t have miso in the house – so I used tahini instead. It turned out to be “just okay” – it was a little heavy, not very bright. I was looking for more zing. I didn’t want to give up until I’d tried it as written and I’m SO glad I didn’t! This is really, really delicious. The recipe specifies a combination of vegetables over which to serve it but I’ve been dolloping it on any salad combination I can think up and it hasn’t disappointed me yet. So if you are not an avocado fan, fear not! Use your culinary imagination for the salad itself, but DO try this dressing.

Miso, in case you are wondering, is a traditional Japanese seasoning that comes in a thick paste. You can find it in the refrigerated section of Whole Foods or other grocery stores (usually within the organic section). It is most often made by fermenting soybeans but many other grains can be used as well. Miso soup is eaten daily in most Japanese households and miso makes its way into lots of other foods that are Japanese in origin. And as for this dressing? Don’t make it without it!

Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing
As posted on SmittenKitchen.com

Serves 4+

1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 Tbsp. roughly chopped fresh ginger
2 Tbsp. sweet white miso
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1/4 c. grapeseed or another neutral oil (I used canola)
2 Tbsp. water

1 small/medium head of lettuce or mixed greens of your choice
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1 avocado, quartered (or cut into small chunks)

Mix the carrots, shallot and ginger in a blender or food processor until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides, then add the miso, vinegar and sesame oil. While the machine is running, slowly drizzle in the neutral oil and water.

Divide the lettuce among four bowls, add some of the onion and a quarter of the avocado. Drizzle with plenty of dressing and serve.

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