Crunchy Asian Salad

Today I'm posting an absolutely amazing Asian Cabbage Salad with Chicken. This salad offers a nice balance of veggies and protein with a splash of a truly out of this world salad dressing!
Cabbage is the key player here. It's got a crunchy sweet and almost peppery taste that compliments the salad dressing perfectly, and seriously I cannot get over how healthful this veggie is!

Cabbage contains: Vitamin C, Folic Acid, Fiber, Potassium, Vitamin B6, Vitamin K, Calcium, Biotin, Manganese, and Magnesium. Seriously, just reading that makes me want to include it into my diet.

However, cabbage becomes even more fun to eat when you take into account the phytonutrients it contains! Plain and simple: phytonutrients have cancer fighting properties in that they both help cells function and help protect cells from free-radicals & carcinogens.
Glucosinolates are the phytonutrient most prominent in cabbage. Different phytonutrients have different functions- makes sense. So, Glucosinolates are compounds that aid the liver in detoxification. This is pretty cool actually: these compounds signal the genes to increase their production of the enzymes involved in the detox process. Cabbage also contains another kind of phytonutrient called isothiocyanates. These stimulate Phase II of liver detoxification. Your liver works super hard to eliminate toxins in the body, why not give it a hand with such a liver-friendly food :)

Crunchy Asian Salad

Dressing:

1/4 c. soy sauce

3 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar

1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil

3 tbsp canola oil

1 tbsp minced ginger

2 cloves garlic minced

3/4 low sodium chix broth

Salad:

1/2 head of cabbage shredded

1 c. carrots- match stick size

1/2 c scallions for garnish

4 chicken breasts sauteed and cut into strips

Whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, & sesame oil in a bowl. In a sauce pan, over med-high heat ad ginger and garlic. Cook/Stir until fragrant (approx 1-2 mins). Add soy mixture to pan and bring to a simmer. Add broth. Let simmer for approx 8 mins.

In a big bowl combine cabbage, carrots, & chicken. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Place in bowls and garnish with a handful of scallions and enjoy!

Really this is one of my favorite dishes. The first time I made it my little brother asked me for the recipe and he NEVER does that!