They past few weeks have been crazy! The husband was gone for business, leaving me all by myself with Coop. There was the stomach bug that hit Coop first and then left me down for the count. Whoa. I never thought it was possible to lose my appetite and it finally happened! So I’ve been quite timid about eating lately. I’ve been living in Blandsville for the past few days and last night I had enough of it. I needed something that would get me excited about food again. I also was aching to get back in the kitchen because chopping veggies keeps me sane. Is that weird? This salad REALLY REALLY helped. It’s sort of my kick-off-to- summer salad. Although we are a few weeks away, aren’t we? We had a little heat wave yesterday, so that’s my excuse for celebrating early. Yes.
It has a few familiar nuances of salads I’ve made before, but this time mangoes and oranges make their debut appearance in this nice little slaw! They are a colorful and sweet and a good balance when mixed with a few spicy/crunchy elements. The juice of the orange mixed with the Asian dressing creates quite a mouth par-tay! It’s pretty refreshing if you stick the slaw in the fridge for an hour or so before serving. If you are craving some protein, pair it with some grilled shrimp or mix in some savory baked tofu! The tofu adds a nice salty element. You are totally going to crave this one, trust me.
Let’s get started!!!
Chop up some red cabbage!
Chop the cilantro & green onions. Add to bowl with the cabbage.
Toast the sesame seeds in a small pan over medium heat for a few minutes. Set aside.
Cut up your mangoes! Into the bowl they go!
Add in your orange segments. Give the leftovers a squeeze right into that bowl!
Get your dressing ingredients together!
Make the dressing! Whisk it up!
Add your sesame seeds and the slivered almonds.
Get ready to dress! Look at you! You’re doing it!
Mix well, and you have this bowl of goodness! Toss it in the fridge. It’s really good when it’s cold!
Now what should we drink with it?
Asian Inspired Mango Orange Slaw
serves about 4 as an entree
For the salad:
- 1 medium head red cabbage, shredded
- 2 scallions chopped (both white & green parts)
- 2 mangoes, chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (more if you LOVE cilantro)
- 2 navel oranges, segmented
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 1/3 cup sliced toasted almonds
- 2 squares of savory baked tofu (optional)
Toast the sesame seeds in a small pan on medium heat for 2-5 minutes until seeds lightly brown and a few of them start popping. Gather the rest of the salad ingredients in a large bowl for tossing. Make your dressing. (recipe follows)
For the dressing:
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Asian red chile sauce (use Sriracha!)
- 1/8 cup vegetable oil
To make the dressing:
In a medium bowl, mix all of the dressing ingredients together with a whisk. Season with salt to taste. Pour dressing on top of salad and squeeze the leftover orange (from segmenting) on top of the slaw. Cover the slaw and place in the fridge for about an hour before eating.
