Chinese Chicken Salad / Black Rice Salad
For my last class at Gilda’s Club, I made this salad to accompany the Black Rice Salad. The two dishes together highlight what I consider to be the kind of good health supportive meal that I recommend for clients.
Here’s why. You’ve got whole grain (rice), loads of veggies, green veggies (the cabbage) and a protein source (the chicken). No food pyramid necessary, my simple formula is grain, veggie, green veggie, protein.
It’s not about any particular “super food”, although I did recently read a big article on cabbage as the food to eat because it is high in soluble and insoluble fiber, low in calories, fat and gluten free.( of course cabbage is gluten free- how ridiculous is that one?) Its not about any specific nutrient in a red pepper or snap pea that is going to cure all that ails you. All of that nutritionism silliness doesn’t matter. What matters is that this is real food and it’s really good.
It’s not about calories, either. I have no idea how many calories are on that plate of green and black salads, nor should you. It doesn’t matter how many calories- each one of us metabolizes (burns calories) at a different rate. Twinkie calories are not the same as cabbage calories. Forget the darn calories! It’s just a game the food and diet industries want you to play.
The meal in the photo above is simply real food, cooked from scratch with ingredients that have integrity. If you can find a way to cook 80% of your food in this manner, your health and your life will be better off.
And, most importantly, it tastes great.
Enough of my rant! Here’s the recipe:
Chinese Chicken Salad
Chinese Chicken Salad
1 lb. Napa cabbage, cored, then cut crosswise into 1/3 inch wide strips (you can use another type of cabbage if you wish)
½ lb. snow peas or sugar snap peas
3 cups coarsely shredded cooked chicken
½ cup scallions chopped
½ cup fresh cilantro
½ cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts or toasted sliced almonds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
Dressing
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
¼ cup olive oil
Directions
Combine snow peas with chopped Napa cabbage.
Whisk together soy sauce, lemon juice, maple syrup, vinegar in a small bowl, then add sesame oil and olive oil in a slow stream, whisking until dressing is combined well.
Toss chicken and scallions which 1/3 cup of dressing in another large bowl.
Whisk remaining dressing (it will separate), then add cabbage mixture, cilantro nuts and sesame seeds to chicken and toss with enough dressing to coat.
