{the crispy salad}

Hi there!  Welcome to another week of Love Your Lunch.  I really love this series because not only does it give me ideas and inspiration for my lunches, but it allows me to blog about my simpler culinary adventures.  Sometimes, I feel like I need to blog ingredient-rich, 100% homemade recipes.  I need to shake that thought because really the simplest recipes are the most delicious, right?

The Love Your Lunch series is really just that – simple ingredients providing a tasty meal.  A lot of our lunch ideas can easily be altered to be a bit heartier for dinner as well.  Be sure to check out what Marisa and Becca are dishing up for lunch this week:

Cooking Like Lou
Two Places at Once

Now on to my menu…

I hate soggy salads.  It is almost as bad as soggy Cheerios.  Both must be crisp and crunchy.  It is pretty impossible to prepare a salad for your lunch, dressed and expect it to be fresh by lunchtime.  My friend the cabbage allows for a dressed, yet crispy salad and it is loaded with healthy benefits.

This salad is a bit similar to my Spicy Asian Slaw, but not really… It is made with prepared Sesame Ginger dressing and some added Asian pieces.  I love how the mandarin oranges give it a subtle sweetness and the crispy rice noodles the must-have crunch.  The best part is this salad can be made the night before and stored in tupperware to quickly grab in the morning.  However, the rice noodles should remain separately, but their container is light and easy to toss into your lunch bag.

Mandarin Cabbage Salad

Recipe by: Sara
Servings:  1   ///   Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
about 2 cups of  thinly sliced green cabbage
1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup mandarin orange slices
Sesame Ginger salad dressing [I used Maple Groves Farms of Vermont]
2 Tbsp crispy fried rice noodles
1 chicken breast, poached and cut into pieces[optional]

Directions:
1. In a bowl, combine the cabbage, cilantro, dressing and chicken if using.
2.  Stir to combine.
3.  Top with mandarin oranges and rice noodles.

Enjoy.