I know I've been MIA for a while, but HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone out there!! I've had a crazy few months, the most exciting being the arrival of my second baby girl Vivian Cora! Isn't she a doll?? My wonderfully talented friend Trinity (who does all my family photography) shot this on our front porch out of my outdoor fall décor. Vivian was born on November 12. That's right, her birthday is 11-12-13. Pretty cool, huh?? Oh! And she was born on the 10th hour of the evening. :) So she is my fall baby, just in time for Thanksgiving & Christmas. The best gift Chris & I could ask for.
I'm so in love with her I can hardly stand it. I can't believe I have 2 gorgeous girls! I'm so blessed, everyday is a new adventure. Because she was born late, and even the doctor thought she was going to be born early (like my 1st daughter) I had so much family staying with us. It was actually a really great time (If I wasn't miserably pregnant). But I had at minimum 4 people staying at my house for 2 solid weeks. When we decided to get induced, I had 5 family members staying with us. It was a packed house. Doesn't really leave time for blogging....
So on top of Vivian's birth, we also hosted our 1st Christmas in our new home. It was wonderful, and again we had lots of family staying with us. It's been a whirlwind, but I have some wonderful memories. So hopefully you understand my eventful absence. ;)
Well, back to the grub! After the overindulgence of a long pregnancy AND the decadence of holiday food, I was craving something lighter yet still satisfying. This salad is so filling and so delicious. Full of fresh vegetables and can be put together in a snap! I could probably eat it everyday. I love to use rotisserie chicken for salads. The store does all the work for me. I have moist, flavorful chicken ready for anything: salads, sandwiches, tacos, you name it.
If you know anything about my cooking philosophy, you'd know that I just don't DO bottles salad dressings. They always have a funky flavor, they are not that difficult to make and quite frankly you cannot even COMPARE the flavor. That being said, I use a bottled dressing for this mix. HAHA! Hey, I'm still human, ya know! And sometimes I can actually find a dressing that impresses me. Trader Joes have the only dressings that I have liked (and there are just a handful). But the one I use for this salad is worth the buy for sure. It has a great bit of heat and is just a wonderful compliment to the ingredients I use.
And just so you know, you can mix up any of these ingredients. Make modifications as you please. I don't always have red peppers in my fridge, but I happened to from another dish so I used them. I just found this combo a winner. And since I was the only one eating this salad, I made the 2nd one in a container without the dressing or avocado. That way I had lunch for the next day and just added the avocado & dressing later to keep it fresh.
Asian Inspired Chopped Salad (makes 2 entrée salads)
4 cups mixed greens, rough chopped
1/2 cup shredded cabbage (I used cole slaw mix I had lying around)
1 mango, chopped
3 green onions, sliced
1 carrot, grated or julienned
1 avocado, diced
1/4 cup cashews
1/4 small red onion, shaved thin
1/2 red pepper, julienned
2 Tbs cilantro, chopped
1 cup rotisserie chicken, pulled (shredded. Or you can chop it)
1/4 cup your favorite Asian dressing (I used Trader Joes Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette)
Crispy chow mein noodles (optional garnish)
Cilantro sprigs (optional garnish)
Toss your mixed greens & cabbage mix together. Like I said, I made my 2nd salad in a container to keep in the fridge for the next day. YUMM!
Next add your fresh fruit & vegetables (peppers, carrot, mango, avocado, green onion, red onion)
Top with fresh cilantro, cashews & the pulled chicken.
The yummy dressing.....so good...
Garnish with crispy chow mein noodles & fresh cilantro. Enjoy the awesome flavor party in your mouth. ;) Since it was New Years, I made a pitcher of detox water just to make myself feel healthier...
ENJOY!!
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