I’m always trying to eat more salads (not always succeeding), but I just can’t stand boring ones. It takes effort to make a salad taste good without oil. Here is my latest try at a non-boring salad.

Juicy mandarins.

Crunchy seeds and almonds.

Hearty edamame (or peas).

Crunchy, colorful cabbage and carrots.

Flavorful green onions.

Gingery sesame dressing.

Some people argue that only the wealthy can afford to eat healthy food. Maybe only the wealthy can afford fancy processed “health” foods like protein powder, vegan meats, organic granola bars, etc. However, many of the healthiest foods are also the cheapest! This is one manifestation to me that God would have us eat plant foods. He made them affordable so everyone can enjoy them and be healthy, and he made them extremely plentiful.

You may be able to buy a burger for $1, but it will only feed you for one meal. With $1 you can buy enough beans, lentils, rice, or wheat to last you more than one meal. Bananas, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage are always cheap.

Cabbage is in season right now, before all the late-summer produce comes in. Cabbage seems like an unimpressive vegetable, but it’s benefits (along with other cruciferous vegetables) are anything but unmpressive. For example:

• Twenty-eight servings of vegetables per week decreased prostate cancer risk by 35%, but just 3 servings of cruciferous vegetables per week decreased prostate cancer risk by 46%.²
• One or more servings of cabbage per week reduced risk of pancreatic cancer by 38%.³
• One serving per day of cruciferous vegetables reduced the risk of breast cancer by over 50%
• (Click here for sources).

All that to say, this salad gives you a lot of bang for your buck, and tastes great, too! We’ve been enjoying it on picnics lately.

If you like salads with Asian flavors, you’ll also like this Chopped Thai Power Salad or this Rainbow Thai Salad with Peanut Dressing.

5 from 2 votes

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Asian Crunch Salad

Prep Time

22 mins

 

Not your typical lettuce and tomato salad. You'll love the variety of flavors.

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: asian salad, mandarin oranges, ramen noodle salad, wfpb salad

Servings: 4 large servings

Author: Faithful Plateful

Ingredients

• 1 (16 oz) bag coleslaw mix (or 3 cups shredded green cabbage)
• 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
• 1 cup edamame or peas, thawed from frozen
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 2 cans mandarin oranges, drained and rinsed (or fresh oranges)
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds, or sunflower or pumpkin seeds
• 2 TBSP sesame seeds or chopped peanuts

Dressing

• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 3 TBSP soy sauce, or alternative such as tamari, coconut aminos
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 3 TBSP honey, maple syrup, or sugar
• 1 TBSP tahini or sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 TBSP miso (optional, for health benefits)

Instructions

1. Mix dressing ingredients together in a small bowl or jar.

2. Combine salad ingredients together and toss with salad dressing.

   Enjoy immediately, or after letting it marinate a few hours. Both taste great, although it looks most fresh when eaten immediately. Keeps in the fridge for about 3 days.