crunchy asian salad
$7.26 recipe / $1.21 serving

I loved eating the teriyaki meatball bowls all week but they desperately need a vegetable side to balance things out. So, I whipped up a quick Asian salad and coated it in the yummy sesame ginger dressing. It was just perfect. The crunchiness of the the cabbage, carrots, and peanuts was such a perfect contrast to the meatballs and rice.

The number of servings that you'll get out of this recipe will vary greatly depending on the size of your red cabbage. So, I didn't even measure servings but it looked like somewhere between 6 or 8 servings. You may get more, but I doubt you'd get less because my head of cabbage was one of the smallest I've ever seen. Also, I only used about 2/3 of the sesame dressing, so the recipe allows for more if you need it.

Pretty food is so... pretty.

Crunchy Asian Salad

Print Friendly and PDF
Total Recipe cost: $7.26
Servings Per Recipe: 6-8
Cost per serving: $1.21 (assuming 6 servings)
Prep time: 20 min. Cook time: 0 min. Total: 20 min.

INGREDIENTS COST
1 recipe sesame ginger dressing $2.87
1 small head red cabbage $1.92
2 medium carrots $0.42
1/2 bunch green onions $0.60
1/2 bunch cilantro $0.65
1 cup peanuts $0.80
TOTAL $7.26

STEP 1: Cut the cabbage into quarters and then cut off the core. Slice crosswise into very thin strips. Also slice the green onions. Peel the carrots and then grate them on a cheese grater. Pull the cilantro leaves from the stems.

STEP 2: Combine the shredded cabbage, green onions, carrots, cilantro, and peanuts in a large bowl and toss to mix. Pour the dressing over top and toss again. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.

Say it with me now... "EEEE-ZEEEEEEE" That's the way we do it around here.

Crunchy Asian Salad


Step By Step Photos


cut cabbage
If you've never cut cabbage into thin strips before, it's really quite easy. First, cut the cabbage into quarters. Then cut diagonally down from the center of each quarter to remove the core.

shred cabbage
I usually cut the quarters into two one more time (to make eight wedges) and then cut across the wedges into thin strips. Presto, you now have shredded cabbage!

Prep vegetables
Prep the rest of the vegetables and add them to a large bowl with the cabbage. I sliced the green onions, pulled the cilantro leaves from the stems (but left them whole for visual effect), and shredded the carrots on a cheese grater because I didn't want to bother trying to julienne them.

sesame ginger dressing
Next comes the delicious dressing! If you're not up to making your own, there are usually several brands of sesame ginger dressing available at the grocery store.

stir dressing
First stir the vegetables together, then add the dressing to your liking. I only used about 2/3 of whole batch of dressing.

eat!
Serve the salad immediately or refrigerate until you're ready to eat. I suggest storing the salad in an air-tight container (as opposed to a bowl covered in plastic wrap) because cabbage likes to release a lot of not-so-pretty smelling gasses. Just sayin'. I've been there.

18 comments:

Taylor Ann | February 6, 2012 at 8:45 PM

yum! I love asian inspired coleslaws. So tasty and fresh! I've made one similar to this and I just added a little bit of sriracha for some heat! So good!!!

Melissa | February 6, 2012 at 9:24 PM

Looks great! What do you think would be a good substitute for the peanuts?

Beth M | February 7, 2012 at 6:12 AM

Melissa - Cashews, almonds, even some shelled edamame!

Katie | February 7, 2012 at 7:33 AM

Looks fantastic! If you are going to be eating it throughout the week (as it sounds like you do?), would you say that the veggies are robust enough that they can be stored with the dressing, or do you think it's better to store them separately and put dressing just on how much you're going to eat at that time? Can't wait to try it next week!

Matt @ FaveDiets | February 7, 2012 at 10:11 AM

This looks so good, like one of the most visually appealing mayo-free cole slaw recipes I've seen. Everything in this salad sounds delicious, and I will definitely have to bookmark this one for later.

Rachael | February 7, 2012 at 2:01 PM

I absolutely love that this is a crunch Asian salad without those disgusting little wormy fried noodle things! This looks delicious, and I can't wait to try that ginger-sesame dressing.

Natalie | February 7, 2012 at 5:51 PM

I will SO be making this - I love a good balanced meal! :) P.S. - You could mix this salad with some cooked noodles and chicken for another complete meal!

Natalie | February 7, 2012 at 5:56 PM

I will SO be making this - I love a good balanced meal! :) P.S. - You could mix this salad with some cooked noodles and chicken for another complete meal!

flipgroove | February 11, 2012 at 2:47 PM

This salad is really lovely. We had it today. I used Newman's Own lite sesame ginger dressing. Very nice. Thanks for all of your beautiful, easy, and budget friendly recipes!

ss | February 13, 2012 at 11:35 AM

I have been eating this for days. I am obsessed with it! I just finished my last bowl (the sadness) and was waiting all morning until it was long enough past breakfast to justify eating lunch. I could eat this for the rest of my life. THANK YOU!!!!! lol

Joanna | February 16, 2012 at 8:31 AM

The colours are really amazing. And the salad looks so delicious

Rachael | February 20, 2012 at 12:02 PM

added some simple grilled chicken to this and made it a jar salad for work portability - stayed good in my jar for a week! http://lifehacker.com/5857420/make-salad-in-a-jar-for-an-easy-grab+and+go-lunch-that-stays-fresh-for-days

Erin | July 3, 2012 at 10:48 AM

I love love love this recipe! I add grilled chicken. Perfect for this summer heat!

Suzanne Wilmot | December 31, 2012 at 6:21 PM

I used this as the first recipe to take my new food processor out for a spin!

It almost became pesto. But fortunately I stopped myself before the power completely took me over and ended up with a wonderful salad!

ROR | January 15, 2013 at 7:34 AM

I'll have to skip the peanuts but I want to make this for my bento! :)

Daisy @ add vodka | January 22, 2013 at 1:46 PM

This salad is freaking amazing. In a quest to eat better and lose some weight, I've been eating some boring lunches lately, but I was so looking forward to this that I polished it off by 11:45 AM. I didn't have tahini for the dressing, but I jsut put an extra splash of sesame oil and it was amazing.

Anonymous | January 25, 2013 at 5:17 PM

Amazing...........keep 'em coming!

Anonymous | February 2, 2013 at 7:42 PM

This salad was wonderful! I love love colorful plates. I added a cut up grilled pork chop for a complete meal - so good. I used Kraft Asian toasted sesame dressing because it's my current fav.
Thank you!

Post a Comment

Blog Widget by LinkWithin
Creative Commons License
This work by Budget Bytes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License