Finally something healthy! I have been flooding my blog with hearty meals that aren’t to waist friendly so it’s only right I share a little something for the people that are watching what they eat. This flavorful salad is super filling and that means A LOT  coming from me and my bottomless pit. Salads are one of my favorite things to make because you can basically add whatever the hell you want. Don’t be one of those people that eat a salad with greasy bacon bits, globs of dressing and processed cheeses. That defeats the purpose people! It took me a while to accept the fact that a salad wasn’t meant to pile high with a bunch of crap. They can still be filling and tasty without killing the concept of a salad.

I have had numerous Asian salads and almost all of them have some kind of soy based dressing.I love soy, but the saltiness drives me crazy sometimes so I ALWAYS use a low sodium soy sauce because all of the other flavors do their thing. To cut the salt and add a light citrusy summer flavor, I added lime juice. Sesame seeds are whisked in for texture and a nutty undertone. Of course, LOTS of freshly grated garlic and ginger make their way into the mix. It really is quite easy and should be made before you start assembling the salad and put in the fridge so it is nice and chilled when you pour it over your salad and serve. I made 2 batches of this dressing, one for the salad and one for the marinade for the chicken (minus sesame seeds).

Ginger-Soy-Lime Dressing:

1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

3 minced garlic cloves

2 tablespoons of grated ginger (FRESH!!!)

2 tablespoons of honey

2 limes (squeeze the juice)

1 tsp of pepper and 1 tsp of sea salt

1 tablespoon of sesame oil

1/2 cup olive oil

sesame seeds

Put the desired amount in two separate bowls. Use one to marinade the chicken and the other for the dressing.

Salad:

1 1/2 pound chicken breast cut however you would like

2 green onions

1 orange pepper diced

2 romaine hearts chopped into bite size pieces

2 cups of shredded cabbage/carrot mix (they sell this at every grocery store already chopped and pre-washed)

1 cup fried chow mein noodles (optional, they also sell this at every grocery store in the Asian section)

mandarin oranges

1 head of broccoli chopped very small

For the chicken:

Marinade your chicken for 30 mins-overnight in your pre-made dressing (see above). If you choose to skip the marinade, just add 1/2 cup of soy sauce and some freshly grated ginger to the skillet as you cook the chicken. It won’t taste as good, but it’ll get the job done. Once it is done marinating, cook on medium high heat in a large skillet until cooked through and set aside. You can chop it up before adding to the salad or keep it however you want.

For the salad:

Assemble your salad by adding all of the fresh ingredients. Then top with your chicken. Easy right? My favorite part about salads! So easy. The only thing that gets cooked is the chicken. This is such a pretty salad!