With a big bowl of this crunchy salad in your fridge, you’ll be ready to tackle lunches for the week. Toss it in flavorful Asian-inspired dressing and grab a different topping every day to keep things new and exciting.
There aren’t a lot of healthy lunch options near my office – and buying something every day gets expensive very quickly – so I try to pack my lunch as often as I can.
In the winter, I usually make a big pot of soup and eat that all week. In the spring and summer, I’m all about a crunchy chopped salad like this one. I love using cabbage for the base because it holds up really well throughout the week and doesn’t get soggy. That means you can mix a big salad up ahead of time and top it different ways throughout the week to keep things interesting. Bacon one day, grilled chicken another. You can even defrost a few pre-cooked shrimp to throw on top. Or, keep things vegetarian with chopped peanuts and chow mein noodles.
It’s as close to meal prep as I ever really get.
I usually have a few grab-and-go dressing options in my refrigerator, but nothing beats homemade dressing. To keep the salad from getting soggy, I always pack it separately in a small squeeze container like this one, then add it right before I eat.
Lately, I’ve been loving Asian-inspired dressings. This recipe uses almond butter and coconut milk to give the dressing body and creamy texture and soy sauce and sesame oil for tons of flavor. Think of it almost like a thinned out version of peanut sauce. Once you taste it, you’ll want to put it on everything.
Crunchy Chopped Salad with Asian Dressing
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 6 cups coleslaw mix
- 1 bunch kale shredded
- 1 bunch romaine lettuce chopped
- ¼ cup parsley chopped
- 6 green onions white and green parts thinly sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
For the dressing:
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- ½ cup almond butter
- 1 lime juiced
- 3 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 Tablespoon tamari gluten-free soy sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Combine the salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Cover loosely with paper towels and keep refrigerated.
- Combine the dressing ingredients in a blender; blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Dress the salad immediately before serving.
