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Asian Chopped Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing – So light & refreshing, yet so satisfying! Plus, it’s SO easy to put together and you won’t need to cook anything!
It’s getting a little hot in my neck of the woods, so heat-free meals are in heavy rotation now. This Asian Chopped Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing is on that list, along with my favorite Avocado Black Bean & Corn Salad.
I don’t usually just have salad as a meal, but this one is really filling. It’s loaded with romaine lettuce, cabbage, carrots, edamame, sliced almonds, mandarin oranges and topped with crunchy noodles.
And talk about nutritious…this salad is protein-rich, filled with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants!
Oh, and the dressing is simply marvelous! It’s savory, zesty, subtly-sweet and citrusy. I added very little oil to keep it light and healthy too.
How to make Sesame Ginger Dressing
Here’s what you’ll need: (full amounts in recipe card below)
Rice vinegar
Low sodium tamari (sub soy)
Toasted sesame oil
Agave
Liquid from canned mandarin oranges
Fresh ginger
Garlic
Sesame seeds
Now put it all together!
Add all the dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine well. The flavors are really easy to adjust to your liking, so taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Now place dressing in the fridge while you wash and cut your veggies. This will give the flavors time to marinate. The dressing will slightly separate so don’t forget to whisk again before pouring on the salad.
*Tip: If you can’t have soy, you can replace the tamari with Coconut Aminos and the edamame with snow peas.
How to make Asian Chopped Salad
It’s so easy to put this all together, just thaw the frozen edamame, drain the oranges (save liquid), shred the romaine and purple cabbage, slice the green onions and julienne or shred the carrots.
When you’re ready to serve the salad, add the dressing (*whisk before pouring), almonds, and half the oranges to the bowl of veggies.
Now, gently toss to combine well. Some of the dressing will settle to the bottom, so if you feel the veggies need more coating, just toss gently again.
Top with the crispy noodles and the remaining oranges. You can sprinkle on more almonds and sesame seeds too.
*Tips:
- Make sure your veggies are nice and dry after washing to prevent sogginess. I always run the veggies through my salad spinner. It helps keep everything crisp and fresh. It’s one kitchen item that I can’t do without.
- If you want to make things even easier, you can buy most of the veggies pre-washed and pre-cut. Then all you’ll have to do is pour everything into your salad bowl.
It’s customizable!
This Asian Chopped Salad is easily adjustable, so feel free to omit ingredients and add your favorite herbs, veggies, nuts, and seeds.
You can add things like bell peppers, red onion, cucumber, snow peas, cilantro, basil, mint, peanuts, hemp seeds, cashews or seasoned tofu. It’s completely fool-proof so have fun with it!
*Tip: If you are bringing this to a get-together, leave the oranges and dressing out until it’s ready to serve. Otherwise, the lettuce will get soggy. Another option is to serve the dressing on the side. Top with noodles right before serving too.
Looking for more light and healthy recipes? Here are some you might enjoy:
I’d love to hear from you
If you make this Asian Chopped Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing, let me know what you think by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. It would really make my day. You can also follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @veganhuggs and hashtag #veganhuggs so I don’t miss it.
Asian Chopped Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing
Ingredients
Sesame Ginger Dressing
- 2 tablespoons low sodium tamari (sub soy)
- 3 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon agave
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 1/2 tablespoon ginger , minced
- 2 1/2 tablespoons liquid from canned mandarin oranges
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Salad
- 1 cup frozen shelled edamame , thawed
- 1 large head (12 oz) romaine lettuce , shredded (about 7 cups)
- 1 1/2 cups red cabbage , shredded
- 1 1/2 cups carrots , julienne (matchstick) or shredded
- 1/3 cup green onions , sliced thin
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds , raw or toasted
- 1 10 oz can mandarin oranges , reserve liquid
- 1/2 cup crispy noodles (for topping)
Instructions
Sesame Ginger Dressing
- Add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine well. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed (add a pinch of salt if desired). Place in the fridge while you wash and cut your veggies. This will give the flavors time to marinate. (* Whisk again before pouring on salad)
Salad
- To a large mixing bowl, add the lettuce, cabbage, carrots, edamame, almonds, and green onions. Toss to combine well.
- If you're ready to serve the salad, add the dressing (*whisk before pouring) and half the oranges. Gently toss to combine. Some of the dressing will settle to the bottom, so if you feel the veggies need more coating, just toss gently again. Top with crispy noodles and the remaining oranges. You can sprinkle on sesame seeds too. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Dee
Awesome salad! Light and refreshing! I love the ginger dressing! Will definitely use the ginger dressing for my other salads or even as a dipping sauce for my dumplings.
Melissa Huggins
Thank you, Dee! I’m glad that you liked it! I need to try the dressing with dumplings too! 🙂
Dorothy L.
Hi Melissa, I love your vegan recipes. Instead of the red cabbage in the Asian salad, can I use radicchio instead since cabbage is a no no for my tummy. If not, since radicchio has a strong flavor and might overpower, what would you suggest? Thanks, Dorothy
Melissa Huggins
Hi Dorothy, thank you so much! I’m glad to hear this!
Can you have bok choy? If yes, that would be a great substitute. I think radicchio would be great too, but you may want to cut down the amount and replace with more romaine or mixed greens. I’d love to hear how it turns out for you. 🙂