Asian-Inspired Cabbage and Carrot Salad with Peanuts

When a chicken was roasted on a hot day earlier this week, the planned side dish of sauté greens would’ve been overwhelming. Thanks to a weekly menu plan, Napa cabbage and carrots were shredded a few days prior. A quick vinaigrette of ginger, savory soy sauce, sweet lime juice and fresh lemon balm was tossed with the shredded vegetables. Like most large heads of cabbage, there was plenty of salad left over. It became another side dish that completed a fast and effortless weekday meal of saute fish.

Ingredients
1 lb. Napa cabbage; cleaned, cored and shredded
3 carrots; peeled and shredded
2 tsp. ginger, grated
2 to 3 scallions, fined chopped
1/8 to 1/4 cup peanut oil
3 tbsp. fresh lemon balm or cilantro; roughly chopped
The juice of one lime
1 to 2 tsp. of soy sauce
salt and pepper, to taste
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper, to taste
1/4 to 1/3 cup peanuts; roughly chopped; if not roasted, toast them

Directions
1. Add cabbage and carrots to a large bowl.

2. Whisk the rest of the ingredients to create a vinaigrette.

3. Pour vinaigrette over the vegetables and toss together.

4. Let sit at least an hour in the refrigerator before serving.

5. Enjoy.

Adapted from Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything”.