I am a firm believer that we eat with our eyes. I love the color combinations in this salad: purple, light, dark and neon greens, orange, honey tones, and warm brown. This Asian inspired salad is a nice diversion from the ho-hum salad we typically indulge in with mixed greens.  Brussels sprouts are one of our favorite veggies (I know can you believe that!), and when you add the shallots and a hint of soy sauce, they are even more delicious. I have seen and tasted salads with raw Brussel sprouts, but I believe they are truly meant to be slightly sautéed to obtain the best flavor and taste. Give this Asian inspired salad a try! For a bit of a crunch, add the crunchy Chinese noodles (the ones you dip into the duck sauce), to the top of this salad.

To start, you’ll need a large non-stick frying pan or a wok. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the pan. Then add in the diced shallots. Let these cook for 2 minutes.

In the meantime, make your dressing. You will need a mason jar with a lid, so you can vigorously shake it. Combine 1/4 cup of olive oil or sesame oil, 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1-2 tablespoons of rice vinegar, and a drizzle of honey into a mason jar. Shake vigorously! Set this aside.

Once shallots have become translucent (not brown) add in the chopped or shredded Brussel sprouts, and half of a bag of red cabbage along with some ground sea salt and a small drizzle of soy sauce.  Let these cook 3 minutes and then pour into a large bowl.

Next, add in half of bag of shredded carrots into the frying pan, and let these heat up for 2 minutes. If you can’t find shredded carrots use 3 carrots and thinly slice them, as seen in the below photo.

 

Chop about 2-3 leaves of the green Chinese cabbage (Napa) and add that to the pan for another two minutes adding some sea salt. Then add the Brussel sprouts and red cabbage back in, and freshly grate some ginger. We like a lot of ginger! Drizzle in a few more drops of soy sauce (not too much) and if you have a wok gently toss it. Otherwise mix with a large spoon to fully incorporate all the veggies.

Next, rinse the apple and slice into thin slices. Then in a large bowl add in about ½ of the box of mixed greens (or more), and drizzle on some of the dressing. Then pour the contents of the frying pan onto the greens, drizzle more dressing. Crush a large handful of Chinese crunchy noodles and add to the top of the salad.  Add the sliced apples right before you serve the salad so the apple doesn’t get brown. To add to the fun of this Asian inspired salad, have some chop sticks available for eating the salad!

This salad is best served fresh because day 2 it will lose some flavor and color. It will yield 4 large servings or 6 smaller servings. Be careful not to overcook your veggies, you want the colors to be vibrant and pop and you want to enjoy a bit of a crunch from the salad. Also don’t over saturate it with dressing, a little drizzle goes a long way! It’s a winner! I hope you enjoy!