Asian Spring Salad

It’s the beginning of the year, which is a perfect time to start eating fresh healthy foods. This Asian spring salad will not disappoint. It’s made with the freshest real ingredients and the dressing is lick the bowl delicious!

I am always looking for fresh salads, with oil free salad dressings. You will love the combination of flavors and it’s pretty cheap to make!

Start With Fresh Cabbage

Cabbage is the shining star of this dish, so lets talk about its healthy benefits. First of all, cabbage is on the “CLEAN 15” list, which means it isn’t necessary to purchase organic. This is a huge savings, and cabbage on its own is very cheap!

• Blood cleanser
• High in fiber
• Detoxifies
• Stimulates the immune system
• Prevents cancers
• Supports a healthy heart
• Lowers your risk of Alzheimer
• Anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory…
• Rich in iron, sulfur, vitamin C, etc.

I think it’s safe to say cabbage is VERY GOOD FOR YOU! However, it’s important to purchase cabbage in its whole form and cut it fresh before eating it. Many pre-packaged lettuces are sprayed with a solution to help them last longer, but the real issue for me is certain nutrients die soon after the vegetable has been cut. To make sure you get all these benefits, buy a cheap cabbage and cut it yourself.

A Few Key Ingredients

In order to make this salad POP, there are a few key ingredients. I LOVE mandarin oranges, but most often I can only find cans in light syrup. Sometimes I’m able to find the jars or individual cups of mandarin oranges in juice. No worries, if you can’t find mandarin oranges, slice a fresh orange. Pictured above was a fresh blood orange from my parents backyard.

Another key ingredient is cilantro. If you are not a fan of cilantro, then substitute it with green onions. Cilantro adds an amazing flavor to this salad though!

How To Add Protein To This Salad

Even though I am plant-based, I still care about protein. Adding a handful of these sliced almonds make this salad over the top. I purchase mine from Trader Joe’s. In addition to this recipe, you could also add:

• Edamame
• Sliced chicken or other animal protein
• baked tofu

I like to serve this salad with baked tofu and steamed brown rice. Did you know brown rice has protein in it??? Yep! Anyways, think of this salad as the MAIN DISH, and add sides to compliment it. The other day, I served it by itself for lunch and it was perfect!

***If adding avocado, make sure you plan on eating all the salad, or serve the avocado on the side. Avocado will not store well in the refrigerator as leftovers.

Show Stopper Dressing

This salad dressing is the frosting on the cake. It ties the whole salad together, and it packs a punch! There is absolutely ZERO oil in this dressing and only has 4-ingredients: fresh ginger (I use the frozen ginger cubes from Trader Joe’s), Tamari (soy sauce), pure maple syrup, and orange juice. I could lick the dressing off the plate it’s that good!

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Asian Spring Salad

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Prep Time 15 mins

Course Salad

Cuisine Main Dishes

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups shredded purple cabbage
• 2 cups shredded green cabbage
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 1 cup mandarin oranges sliced naval oranges will work too
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions (optional)
• 1 avocado, diced
• sprinkling of sesame seeds as a garnish

Asian Dressing

• 2 Tbsp. Tamari (soy sauce)
• 2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp. orange juice
• 1 tsp. freshly grated ginger

Instructions

 

• First, lets make the salad dressing. In a small bowl or jar, add all the salad dressing ingredients, and whisk together. Set aside.
• To make the salad, I highly suggest buying whole cabbage and slicing it yourself. You can definitely use a food processor to shred the cabbage, but I like to thinly slice it with a sharp knife. Chop/shred the cabbage first, then add to a salad bowl. You do not want large slices of cabbage.
• Add all salad ingredients to a salad bowl, pour the dressing over the top, and mix all the ingredients together.
• For best results, let the salad sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.
• This salad is delicious served with baked tofu, or another protein. You could serve this as the main dish, or it will compliment any meal as a side. Enjoy!

Notes

*If packaging this salad for work, just keep the dressing separate. The dressing is perfect if you want to pour it into your bowl, top with the lid and shake. The salad is best if dressing has about 30 minutes to absorb into the salad before eating. Enjoy!

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