Work has been really crazy this week and fortunately, Mark has had the flexibility to pick up the girls from daycare for me. Last night, we got home and our dog had gotten sick and wasn’t responding to voice commands. We rushed her to the vet and he took blood work – nothing came back that would indicate an issue, but today we had to take her back in for an anti-nausea shot. Poor pup.
Oh, and our furnace and air-conditioning need to be replaced. Yes, it’s 23 years old, but holy expense.
When it rains it pours.
I had planned a nice dinner tonight and after serving it up and cutting into the chicken – still raw. So much for having everything hot and ready to serve at the same time. Grr.
See, you don’t have that problem with salad. And when we were Whole30’ing, we ate quite a few salads. Since cheese (as well as plenty else) is off limits on Whole30, it took some getting creative at times.
I resorted back to this recipe – an all-time fave – and I Whole30’ed it by omitting the hoisin and soy sauce and swapping in dates and coconut aminos and tweaking a few of the other ingredient proportions.
Result? DELICIOUS! I absolutely love this salad and it’s that perfect balance of vegetables, protein, and delicious dressing and almonds. Enjoy!
- 2 medjool dates, pitted and chopped
- 5 Tbsp coconut aminos
- 5 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp ginger root, finely minced
- 4 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tsp Cholula hot sauce
- ½ tsp salt
- Salad:
- 1½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1¾ lb napa cabbage, finely chopped (all but 3-4 inches from the base)
- 12 oz broccoli slaw
- 1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, chopped
- 6 green onions, diced
- ⅔ cup sliced almonds, toasted
- 2 tsp white sesame seeds, toasted
- To prepare the dressing, combine the dates and 3-4 tablespoons water in a glass 2-cup liquid measuring cup, microwave 60 seconds on high, and mash with a fork. Whisk in remaining dressing ingredients; refrigerate until ready to use.
- Heat a grill to medium-high heat. Grill chicken 5-7 minutes per side or until cooked through and a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F or higher. Transfer grilled chicken to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes. Cut chicken crosswise into ¼-inch thick strips.
- Meanwhile, toss together the napa cabbage, broccoli slaw, cilantro, and green onions in a large bowl. Drizzle three-fourths of the dressing and toss well. Top with chicken, drizzle with remaining dressing and toss again. Top with almonds and sesame seeds and gently toss a final time; serve immediately.
