Thai Cabbage Salad

Eat, Pray, Love is one of my favorite girly movies to watch. It's about a woman named Liz who embarks on a multicountry adventure to break out of her humdrum and sad life. Liz's friend does not quite understand why such a drastic step is needed. She illustrates her point in a conversation about food. Liz asks "What did you have for lunch today?" Her friend casually replies "Just a salad." This is continued with Liz having a rather dramatic and long winded point about how people are made to live life more passionately than eating "just a salad." We have all had days where lunch is "just a salad" but I think we should fix that.

This is a crazy good salad. It is very healthy and definitely not boring by any stretch of the imagination. The flavors blend really well together and it can be served either cold or at room temperature. This salad is made with napa cabbage which is a bit more tender than regular cabbage. I like to top it with sliced grilled chicken, but any protein would make this a delicious meal.

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon Thai chile paste

1 lime

1/3 cup vinegar

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 cup orange juice

 1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 Napa Cabbage, chopped well

3 carrots, diced

 Begin the dressing by combining the chile paste as well as the zest and juice from the lime. Stir this together well.

Add in the remaining ingredients and mix really well until it's well  combined. If you prefer this a little sweeter, add in a teaspoon of honey.

Add the chopped cabbage into a very large bowl and add in the carrots. Then pour over the dressing and stir until all the leaves get some of the dressing

 I like to let this sit for about a half an hour to let the flavors meld. It is perfect timing to make this salad and then grill up a chicken breast to go along with it. I hope you try this out instead of "just a salad" some time!