Day 358: Napa Cabbage, Herb & Mango Salad with Asian Dressing ◄

I need to make big salads more often! Even late on a chilly spring evening, this tasted so fresh and alive and paired perfectly with soup. It was light but still filling and flavorful -- all for hardly any calories.

The salad itself calls for four strong flavors: watercress, basil, cilantro AND mint.

I wondered if they'd fight, if one'd overpower the other, if one'd make shy. But instead, they formed a quartet that works as much in concert as in striking their individual notes. Still, if one had to be sacrificed, make it the watercress.

The dressing was a definite keeper, too. There is NOTHING on the grocery store shelves to compare with simple ingredients whisked together in five minutes -- in flavor, in cost, in healthfulness.

The mango was still underripe, despite sitting on the counter in a paper bag for three days. Still, the "bones" were good, mango works beautifully with the dressing.

NUTRITION NOTES ... For carb watchers, make this salad fit your low-carb diet by eliminating the fruit and either eliminating the sugar or switching to Splenda. (Right, Kalyn?)

FROM THE ARCHIVES ... See the Recipe Box for inspiration for other Green Salads.

NAPA CABBAGE, HERB & MANGO SALAD with ASIAN DRESSING
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Hands-on time: 5 minutes for the dressing, 15 minutes for the salad
Time to table: 20 minutes
Serves 4


DRESSING
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil (reduced from 2 tablespoons)
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil (reduced from 1 1/2 tablespoons)
1/4 cup lime juice (tonight, from 4 limes)
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce (this was excellent!)
1 tablespoon sugar (reduced from 2 tablespoons but important)
2 dashes Tabasco
Black pepper

Whisk together ingredients.

SALAD
1 head Napa cabbage, chopped (about 6 cups)
1 bunch watercress, stems removed, leaves chopped (the inspiring recipe calls for 6 cups, I had maybe 1 cup, it was enough)
1 carrot, grated
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 mango, sliced

Gently toss salad ingredients, then toss in dressing. Top with mango. Serve and enjoy!

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Serving: 131 Cal (24% from Fat, 9% from Protein, 68% from Carb); 3 g Protein; 4 g Tot Fat; 1 g Sat Fat; 25 g Carb; 6 g Fiber; NetCarb19; 105 mg Calcium; 2 mg Iron; 402 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 2 points

ALANNA's TIPS
  • When you see this in the title and the Recipe Box, you know the recipe's a personal favorite. Tastes vary, of course, but the mark is one indication of another vegetable recipe that's worth paying attention to.
CREDIT WHERE CREDIT'S DUE
Adapted from Gourmet, October 2003


(c) Copyright 2006 Kitchen Parade
Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. Wow. This sounds just fantastic. I'll remember this when I have fresh mint in my garden. Yes, I would replace the sugar with Splenda, and I've found that usually you should reduce the amount of splenda to about half of the amount of sugar called for.

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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe, whether a current recipe or a long-ago favorite. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. ~ Alanna