Hubby declared to me that he could eat this salad every day and not be sick of it. Both he and I are taking a break from grains and beans these days. I’ve been quietly playing around with a high fat, modified Ketogenic diet for a couple of years now. Ever since recipe testing for Dr. Mark Hyman’s book, Eat Fat, Get Thin, I’ve been intrigued with the idea that fat doesn’t make you fat. I’m 20 pounds lighter since starting on this fat fueled adventure. My energy and focus has never been better and I no longer crave or eat refined sugar.
Back to the winning salad. This is an updated version of a family favorite, Chinese Chicken Salad.
I’ve now added avocado to the mix along with carrots and cucumbers. Generous additions of nuts also help to add to the fat content. If you’ve been following my Instagram page, you’ll notice that avocados have been playing a starring role lately for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Rubin Rodeo Asian 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, you can also add lettuce of your choice for varied texture and color)
½ lb. snow peas or sugar snap peas, cut in half
1 cucumber peeled and cored, cut into bite sized chunks
1 carrot julienned or thinly sliced
3 cups coarsely shredded cooked chicken
1 avocado, cut into bite sized chunks
½ cup scallions chopped (or 1/4 red onion thinly sliced)
½ cup fresh cilantro (you can also add 1/4 cup fresh mint and basil for a more Vietnamese style salad)
1 cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts or sliced almonds or cashews
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 the chopped Napa cabbage and other leafy greens with snap peas, cucumber, carrots and chopped herbs.
Make the dressing: Whisk together soy sauce, lemon juice, maple syrup, rice vinegar in a small bowl, then add sesame oil and olive oil in a slow stream, whisking until dressing is combined well. Sometimes I’ll make double the recipe of dressing just to have extra.
I assemble the finished salad at the table, adding chicken and nuts and avocado. Use all of that avocado, don’t be shy! Avocado doesn’t save well, so you wanna use it all up. It blends in with the dressing to make a creamy green blend in your salad bowl. So delicious!
You’ll probably have leftovers, that’s the best part! Store the chicken and the dressing separate from the salad. And add another whole avocado next time. Yummy yummy fat! 🙂
The moral of the story: fat is your friend and sugar is not! Bump up healthy fats and consider breaking up with sugar. I can support you in this with my online Sugar Challenge
