Thursday, March 18, 2010

Asian Cabbage Salad



I made this salad last week. It was really good. I used napa cabbage and it was great. I will use napa in future cabbage salads. I loved the texture of it and the lighter crunch.

Sandee's Sensational Asian Salad with Chicken and Cabbage

http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/02/recipe-for-sandees-sensational-asian.html

(Makes about 6 servings, recipe adapted by my sister Sandee from several sources.)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning (optional, for poaching water)
4 cups thinly sliced and chopped cabbage (or use 4 cups purchased coleslaw mix)
1/2 cup sliced green onion (or less, I like a lot of onion)
3/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted in dry pan
2 T sesame seeds, toasted in dry pan
1 pkg. dry ramen noodles, crushed (leave out ramen noodles for South Beach Diet but save seasoning packet for dressing)

Dressing:
2 1/2 T rice vinegar ( or more, to taste)
2 T Splenda or sugar (use Splenda for South Beach Diet)
chicken ramen noodle seasoning packet (or use about 1/4 tsp. chicken flavor base)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
4 T olive oil + 2 T canola oil

Trim all visible fat and tendons from chicken breasts. Then fill a small frying pan with water, whisk in poultry seasoning, add chicken breasts and cook at a very low simmer until chicken is firm to the touch and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove chicken and let cool.

While chicken cooks, mix together rice vinegar, Splenda or sugar, chicken ramen packet or chicken soup base, salt, and pepper, the whisk in the oil, one tablespoon at a time. Taste dressing to see if you want a little more vinegar, and when it's flavored to your liking set aside to let the flavors blend.

Thinly slice and then chop enough green cabbage to make about 4 cups chopped cabbage (or use 4 cups packaged coleslaw mix.) Add cabbage to large bowl. Slice green onions and add to cabbage.

As soon as chicken is cool, dice into small pieces (less than 1/2 inch square) and add to cabbage mixture. Add dressing until the salad is as wet as you prefer, then toss to combine. (You may not need all the dressing.)

In a large dry frying pan, toast the almonds over low heat, about 90 seconds, or until almonds start to be fragrant. Add sesame seeds and toast about 60 seconds more, or until nuts and seeds are barely starting to brown.

Add toasted almonds and sesame seeds to salad, toss again to combine, season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper, and serve.


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