Asian Slaw Salad

I'm going crazy with CSA produce, now that peak season is here. Last week we had a beautiful head of napa cabbage in our boxes and I thought it would be perfect turned into a sweet and savory Asian slaw.

I whipped this up one night for dinner as a side to go with some grass fed beef round steak from our favorite beef farmer. The slaw turned out so good! It reminds me of the Asian Chicken Salad (sans the chicken) from Applebee's that I remember from my past (gosh, I haven't been to an Applebee's in years, thank God, but I am thankful for the inspiration from their standby menu).

The dressing is so distinct and the toasted sunflower seeds really shine as an added flavor dimension. You could turn this into a meal all by itself by topping it with shredded or chopped cooked chicken (ala Applebee's). And it does really well the next day too, once the dressing has soaked completely into the cabbage and given it even more depth of flavor. If you don't have napa cabbage, you could sub any of your favorite cabbage in its place.

Asian Slaw Salad

Salad:
1 head napa cabbage
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, toasted

Dressing:
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon agave or honey
1 tablespoon Bragg's Liquid Aminos or tamari
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Chop cabbage into thin strips and place in a large bowl. In a separate, smaller bowl, combine dressing ingredients (mustard through sesame oil) and stir. While continuing to stir, whisk in olive oil in a steady stream until thoroughly combined. Pour dressing over cabbage, add cranberries and sunflower seeds, and toss to coat.