Chinese Chicken Salad

I have a chinese chicken salad recipe that I never use because it takes a long time to make. This one was simple, and healthy with the cabbage and the fresh ginger. Next time I'm going to try it with a little less sugar. I'm sure it makes it taste great, but I bet I can reduce it a little more. Or at least use a sugar substitute. We'll definitely eat this salad again. The dressing was great!

(adapted from finecooking)

2-1/2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage (about 1/3 medium head)

1/2 cup shredded carrots (about 1 large carrot)
1/3 cup thinly sliced (on the diagonal) scallions (about 4, white and green parts)
1 tsp. plus 3 Tbs. low-salt soy sauce
3-1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
Kosher salt

1 clove garlic
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves, plus 1 Tbs. chopped
3 Tbs. creamy peanut butter
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs. peanut oil (I used sesame oil because I didn't have peanut oil, and I think it enhanced the flavor)
1 lb. thinly sliced chicken breast
1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds or chopped peanuts

In a bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, scallions, 1 tsp. soy sauce, 1 tsp. sugar, and a big pinch of salt. Set aside for 20 minutes, tossing occasionally.

In a small food processor, chop the garlic and ginger. Scrape the bowl with a spatula, add the 1/4 cup cilantro and chop thoroughly. Scrape the bowl, add the peanut butter, 1 Tbs. hot water, the lemon juice, 1 Tbs. oil, 3 Tbs. soy sauce, and 2-1/2 tsp. sugar. Pulse until well combined, scraping the bowl as needed.

Either grill or cook the chicken in a skillet, seasoning with salt. I used our George Foreman because it's the bomb. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 3 to 4 minutes. Slice the chicken into generous 1/4-inch strips.

Toast the sliced almonds. Set the broiler to high, and spread the almonds on a sheet. Place the rack in the middle of the oven and cook for 1 minute. It seems much quicker than toasting them on the stove top.

The rest of the directions say to squeeze the cabbage mixture well and add it to the chicken, pour in the dressing, and toss well to combine. But (and I should have taken a picture of this because it looked pretty for once), I put the cabbage mixture on the plate, layered the chicken on top, and drizzled the dressing over the chicken. In my world, I felt gourmet because I never pay attention to presentation (although I'm trying to - I've just had to get this cooking thing down first). With the sesame oil addition, the dressing was strong but delicious, so I didn't want to overpower the salad. I put the rest of the dressing in a bowl and we could add more if we wanted. Jared did. And went on to eat a variety of other random foods in the kitchen, dipping them in the dressing. Lovely.

Divide among two to four plates and garnish with the remaining cilantro and the toasted almonds or peanuts.