Asian Chicken Salad

A longtime favorite of mine is the flavor of a good Asian or Oriental Chicken Salad.  I have three recipes in my collection for Asian Chicken Salad, each recipe is a little different, so combining the best of each recipe has resulted in the best of the best!  I've "winged" this several times, using what I like from each recipe but now its time to pin it down to ingredient amounts and share!  But those three recipe cards will stay in the collection as they are from three of my favorite people - and recipes are a great remembrance of friends and family, right!?

The inspiration to make this recipe came from an abundance of garden cabbage, you can only eat so much coleslaw! This can be a great side salad, or with the addition of chicken, as included here, you have everything you need for a complete meal.

One of the recipes includes my favorite dressing of the three, it calls for safflower oil, which I changed to a healthier combination of light olive oil and avocado oil, then added rice vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.  But can I get along without the sugar? I did try leaving it out but the flavor just wasn't the same, so it is included in the recipe but with a reduced amount of sugar.  Agave would be a good option to try in the future!  Another recipe includes the nuts, the crunchiness is one of my favorite additions, so add as much as you like!  Two of the recipies called for a couple of packages of Top Ramen, one crunched up and toasted in a fry pan, and another boiled and added to make a hot salad!  Neither of which are included in my final recipe, but it's fun to look back and see how far I have come along the journey of changing to healthier eating habits!!

For the dressing whisk together:
1/3 cup avocado and/or light olive oil
2 Tbsp sugar or agave
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp ea salt & pepper (or to taste)

In a large bowl toss together:
8 cups shredded cabbage, approx 1/2 head
2 shredded carrots
3-4 chopped green onions or chives
1 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup chopped almonds
1 can chicken

Combine to mix the dressing in and enjoy! The dressing recipe would be great on many other combinations so let your imagination go!