This is the salad that I’m always ogling when I head to potlucks. But I’ve never tried making it on my own for fear that I couldn’t pull off a real food version that would satisfy. Thankfully, Lisa Leake, author of the 100 Days of Real Food blog and cookbook, has crafted one for me. This salad is crunchy and delicious and, with its cabbages, carrots, cilantro and honey, a perfect pick for a warm fall day. Or, you know, a potluck. Lisa has a new cookbook out: 100 Days of Real Food: Fast and Fabulous and this recipe is in it. I’ve made a few changes to the version I’m making at my house, which is the one I’ve printed below.
Makes 5 or 6 side servings
Ingredients
- One 8-ounce box Asian brown rice (whole grain) noodles
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
- juice of one lime
- 4 tsp. honey (local if you can get it)
- 4 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp. raw or roasted sesame seeds
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- 3/4 cup chopped salted peanuts or cashews
- 3 cups shredded mix of green cabbage, red cabbage and carrots
Instructions
- Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside in a large bowl. Cut the noodles in half to make them easier to toss.
- In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, lime juice, honey, olive oil, ginger, garlic and sesame seeds.
- Add cilantro, nuts and slaw mix to the bowl with the noodles and toss until well-combined. Pour dressing over noodle mixture a little at a time, until you reach the dressing to salad ratio that works for you. If you have leftover dressing, save it in an air-tight container in the fridge and use as salad dressing on future salads of all kinds.
- Serve noodle salad at room temperature or refrigerate for later.