Before we get to the Asian Chopped Salad, let’s talk about Easter. Was the Easter Bunny good to you?!?!? He was good to me! I got a little basket full of goodies including some cute socks that look like tennis shoes (awesome), some beef jerky, and Reese’s PB Egg. Most importantly however, the Easter Bunny gave me the ingredients for a Moscow mule! Hahaha yes, last year I received a six pack of beer and this year a shooter of vodka, one can of ginger beer, and a lime! The Easter Bunny really does know me!
We had a great dinner. My mom made Cornish hens, ham, and a crunchy Asian salad (similar to this recipe actually, but different). My grandma brought scalloped potatoes, my sister brought green beans, and my aunt Kay brought rolls. It was quite the feast! The Cornish hen took up most of the plate so it kept me from over-eating! I don’t think I’ve had a Cornish hen before and I really enjoyed it. My mom stuffed it with a mushroom wild rice mixture and it was good (even with the mushrooms….).
I was in charge of the appetizer and if you read my Anything & Everything Friday post last week then you know I was going to make a cheese ball that looked like a carrot! It turned out awesome – check it out!
It was a sweet cheese ball and suppose to taste like carrot cake. I sliced apples for dipping and brought some mini Nilla Wafers. I thought we might want a savory appetizer too so I also brought hummus (store bought) with a ton of veggies, pita chips, and some mini gluten free pretzel thins. It was an easy appetizer and delicious all around.
I really enjoyed the three-day weekend. We got mani-pedis on Friday and went to Bubu, which was amazing! I got the OG Colorado with half salad, half brown rice and it was sooo good. I will have to try to make a copycat recipe because it was awesome. My sister got a thai noodle type bowl and my mom got a salad bowl with raw salmon so it was almost deconstructed sushi-ish. We each got very different dishes and they were all amazing! The highlight though might have been the Brussels sprouts. We ordered an appetizer of the Brussels sprouts and they are deep fried and tossed in a sweet chile sauce. Ahhh-mazing!
I informed Donny that he could take me there sometime on a date night. It was perfect for lunch and super quick so if you get a chance check it out. There is one in Lowry and one on Larimer in Denver. Very good!
What else is good? This Asian Chopped Salad. I put a picture on Instagram of this salad the other night and people seemed to like it, so I decided to make it again for an official blog post! It is so incredibly easy to make and takes very little time. I would add some chicken, pork, salmon, or shrimp to the salad too, or serve it as a side dish. One serving with the dressing is only about 100 calories. You’ll definitely want to add some sort of protein for some staying power.
I mentioned this before, but I am on an Asian kick right now in terms of food. I was never that into it, and lately I’ve been craving it. I blame my love for miso soup. Mmmmmm miso soup.
I had all the ingredients for the dressing on hand, however if you don’t cook Asian food very often then you may not. You should be able to find these items at your local grocery store. Otherwise, combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well combined. You’ll need to whisk for at least a minute to fully combine the oil and vinegar. You won’t want it to separate as it sits. If you do not want to buy each of these ingredients then you could buy an Asian vinaigrette in the salad dressing section of your grocery store.
If you are going to eat the salad right away then I would dress the salad and serve it. If you are not, then I would wait to put the dressing on until you are about the serve. I made this recipe for my meal prep this week and I added the dressing to the salad, but I am afraid it will get soggy by Friday. Oh well, I’ll probably eat it anyway!
- 2 cups romaine, shredded
- 1 cup red bell pepper, diced
- 3/4 cup coleslaw mix, no dressing
- 3/4 cup broccoli slaw
- 3/4 cup sugar snap peas, chopped
- 1/2 cup green peas
- 3/4 cup green onions, chopped
- 2 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 1/2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tsp Sriracha (optional)
- Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Toss to evenly distribute vegetables.
- In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the vinaigrette.
- *Pour vinaigrette over salad mixture and stir to evenly distribute dressing.
- Divide into five portions and serve.
- Serve alongside cooked, chopped chicken for an Asian Chopped Chicken Salad.
- *If not eating immediately, reserve dressing to add just before serving.
