Asian Chopped Salad

 

Today I’m sitting by the pool enjoying my favorite organic Asian salad! It’s so beautiful today, and I’ve been doing a lot of snack eating, like grabbing hummus and veggies, and I wanted something fabulous today!

It is SO worth taking a couple of minutes to chop some fresh vegetables and 2 minutes to cook some rice noodles. Not only is my body happy, but so are my taste buds, and there is plenty left over for tomorrow’s lunch! It doesn’t take but a couple of minutes to splash in some ingredients to create a vinaigrette, though you can also buy a ginger sesame type of vinaigrette to have on hand as well. I always have plenty of ingredients for vinaigrettes, so I usually make it instead (then I also know what is going into my food).

Here’s the basics (I get organic and local if possible):

• chopped bok choy
• shredded napa cabbage
• shredded carrots
• bean sprouts
• chopped fresh cilantro and basil
• chopped sugar snap peas
• peanuts
• grated pickled ginger (I like a lot, it’s sweet and yummy, NOT the salted ginger, unless you like that!)

Then optional:

• cooked rice noodles
• chopped celery
• blanched edamame
• Shredded or chopped chicken

Vinaigrette:

• ginger paste or powdered ginger
• rice wine vinegar
• garlic powder
• soy sauce or liquid aminos
• sesame seeds
• sesame oil or olive oil
• lime juice
• optional in the vinaigrette: a teaspoon of hoisin and/or oyster sauce

I don’t use a recipe because I throw in what I have from the farmers market, you just can’t go wrong with this kind of chopped salad! It is bursting with flavor, crunch, tangy, sweet, and everything you want in a healthy and delicious lunch. Enjoy!