Orange Sesame Asian Salad

This salad reminds me of one my mom used to make every year on Christmas Eve. It’s just a different take on it. The salad dressing is really the show in this. You can add the dressing to any lettuce base, but I like a mix of chopped kale, brussel sprouts and cabbage to get that extra crunch. It’s also a great base when you are storing leftovers as you don’t have to worry about soggy lettuce. Whether you make this for a party or just for yourself, I’m guessing this sweet and savory Orange Sesame Asian Salad will be one you circle back to time and again.

How To Make Orange Sesame Asian Salad

Serves 3-4 as a meal or 8 small side salads for a party

Ingredients

Dressing

Makes about 1/2 cup. Best made ahead of time so it can marinate in the fridge for hours.

• 2 large fresh squeezed oranges, little less than 1/2 cup juice
• 3 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp raw honey
• 1/2 small or 1/4 large garlic clove, minced OR dash garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp salt, add more to taste or extra lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. white part of green onion, finely chopped

Salad

• 7 cups chopped kale
• 1 1/2 cups red cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cup brussel sprouts, thinly sliced
• 6 green onions (both white and green parts), thinly sliced
• 1 cup celery, thinly sliced
• 2 large oranges, cut into small segments OR 1 1/2 – 2 cups mandarin oranges, peels removed
• 1/2 cup toasted almonds, chopped (optional)

Instructions

How to Make Orange Sesame Dressing

Best if made ahead of time so it can sit and marinate in the fridge for hours. The flavors come out a lot more this way. If making last minute, put it in the freezer for five minutes to get it chilled as it tastes best cold. The recipe makes about 1/2 cup of dressing for the large salad. It tastes best tossed together with the salad as oppose to drizzling it on top. You can also mix it with the hearty kale cabbage salad right away and store it in the fridge until you are ready to eat. Use the dressing within 2 days.

1. Unless you have a citrus juicer, just cut your orange in half and take it over a small bowl and really squeeze it. Then with the inside of the orange facing the bowl, use your fingers to really grip out the remaining juice from inside of the oranges. It’s more than fine if you get little pieces of orange in it.
2. Add in the toasted sesame oil, raw honey, minced garlic, lemon juice, finely chopped green onion, ground pepper, and salt.
3. Pour the dressing into a lidded jar or similar and shake it well.
4. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. The flavors will meld together better after sitting for a few hours or even overnight.

How To Make Toasted Almonds

Preheat the oven to 350. Add the whole almonds to a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 5-8 minutes until slightly golden and you can smell them. Watch them closely as they burn quickly. Once they are out of the oven, carefully remove them from the hot pan so they cool a bit before chopping them.

How to Make Orange Sesame Asian Salad

1. Mix the kale, cabbage, brussel sprouts, green onion, and celery in a large bowl.
2. Add in the chopped orange segments and the toasted almonds (if you are using).
3. Drizzle in the salad dressing and toss together well with tongs.

Riane’s Tidbits

Adjust For Taste

We all have different salt preferences. I don’t even have the same salt preference week to week sometimes. The more salt I ingest, the more I want it. On the weeks I really watch the salt, I want very little the following week since my taste buds got used to less salt. Moral of the story, salt to your preference. If you constantly need more salt, check out this article. You can even avoid salt all together in this recipe by just adding in more lemon juice.

If you want it sweeter, add in more raw honey. If you don’t have raw honey, it might be sweet enough for you without it. Remember the flavors better meld together after being in the fridge a few hours.

Toasted Sesame Oil

I prefer toasted in this recipe as opposed to regular sesame oil as it adds more flavor. I use the organic toasted sesame oil from Trader Joe’s.

Large Party

This is a great salad to make for a large party as you can prepare it all and even mix it ahead of time. If you need to get some more servings out of it, add in more red cabbage. Extra red cabbage really makes the salad pop and I’m guessing you have more of it left if you bought cabbage.

Fats

If you are watching your fat intake, you can easily omit the almonds. Even though the almonds do add a lot (highly recommend for a party), it still tastes delicious without it. On the flip side, if you want to add on a healthy fat and make the salad a more filling meal, top it with 1/2 avocado.

Orange Segments, Skins Removed

I just take a small serrated knife to cut the orange and slice into small segments. The serrated edge does a good job at removing the skins without trying hard. There are videos on YouTube on how to cut and segment an orange if you are interested, but a serrated knife works wonders without much of technique. The goal is to have small orange pieces without the skins on as it gives the salad a lot more flavor.

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Orange Sesame Asian Salad

This salad reminds me of one my mom used to make every year on Christmas Eve. The salad dressing is really the show in this. You can add the dressing to any lettuce base, but I like a mix of chopped kale, brussel sprouts and cabbage to get that extra crunch. It's also a great base when you are storing leftovers as you don't have to worry about soggy lettuce. Whether you make this for a party or just for yourself, I'm guessing this sweet and savory Orange Sesame Asian Salad will be one you circle back to time and again.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  

Dressing – Makes about 1/2 cup. Best made ahead of time so it can marinate in the fridge for hours.

• 2 large fresh squeezed oranges little less than 1/2 cup juice
• 3 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp raw honey
• 1/2 small or 1/4 large garlic clove minced OR dash garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp salt add more to taste or extra lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. white part of green onion finely chopped

Salad Base – Serves 3-4 as a meal or 8 small side salads for a party

• 7 cups chopped kale
• 1 1/2 cups red cabbage thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups brussel sprouts thinly sliced
• 6 green onions – both white and green parts thinly sliced
• 2 large oranges, cut into small segements or 2 cups mandarin oranges
• 1/2 cup toasted almonds

Instructions

 

How To Make Orange Sesame Salad Dressing

• Unless you have a citrus juicer, just cut your orange in half and take it over a small bowl and really squeeze it. Then with the inside of the orange facing the bowl, use your fingers to really grip out the remaining juice from inside of the oranges. It’s more than fine if you get little pieces of orange in it.
• Add in the toasted sesame oil, raw honey, minced garlic, lemon juice, finely chopped green onion, ground pepper, and salt.
• Pour the dressing into a lidded jar or similar and shake it well.
• Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. The flavors will meld together better after sitting for a few hours or even overnight.

How To Make Toasted Almonds

• Preheat the oven to 350. Add the whole almonds to a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 5-8 minutes until slightly golden and you can smell them. Watch them closely as they burn quickly. Once they are out of the oven, carefully remove them from the hot pan so they cool a bit before chopping them.

How To Make Orange Sesame Asian Salad

• Mix the kale, cabbage, brussel sprouts, green onion, and celery in a large bowl. Add in the chopped orange segments and the toasted almonds. Drizzle in the salad dressing and toss together well with tongs.

Notes

The dressing is best if made ahead of time so it can sit and marinate in the fridge for hours. The flavors come out a lot more this way. If making last minute, put it in the freezer for five minutes to get it chilled as it tastes best cold. The recipe makes about 1/2 cup of dressing for the large salad. It tastes best tossed together with the salad as oppose to drizzling it on top. You can also mix it with the hearty kale cabbage salad right away and store it in the fridge until you are ready to eat. Use the dressing within 2 days.

 

Gluten-Free | Dairy-Free | Soy-Free | Plant-Based | Vegan | Medical Medium Compliant Friendly Recipe

 

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