Vietnamese Cabbage Salad with Chicken and Cilantro

I spend plenty of time visiting other cooking blogs and admiring the delicious-looking food. Despite that, I hardly ever actually cook recipes from other blogs. It's mostly that I rarely make a recipe the way it's written, and while I don't mind "improving" on the recipes of cookbook authors, it seems a little different to do it to a recipe from a fellow blogger. However, when Glenna from A Fridge Full of Food, posted this recipe for Vietnamese Cole Slaw, the minute I saw the recipe, I knew I'd be making it.

There was very little improving to be done either; Glenna's recipe was great. She posted a healthier version of the original recipe after a Vietnamese co-worker told her that in Vietnam a salad like this would never contain oil. I loved the improved version, especially after I realized that leaving out the oil would mean you could store the dressing in the fridge for a few days.

(Photo below is a slightly different version with purple cabbage; both were good.)

Vietnamese Cabbage Salad with Chicken and Cilantro

(Makes enough dressing for at least 4 salads, even if you like a lot of dressing like I do. Recipe originally from Nigella Lawson, adapted by A Fridge Full of Food, with a more adaptations by Kalyn.)

Dressing:
3-4 drops Green Tabasco or other hot sauce (to taste, or use red or green Asian chile peppers)
1/4 tsp. garlic puree or minced garlic
2 T Splenda or sugar (use Splenda for South Beach)
2 T rice vinegar (not sweetened)
3 T fresh lime juice
2 T fish sauce.
fresh ground black pepper to taste

(Read here about fish sauce, which varies greatly in strength. Glenna used more, but she had a different brand than I did. I recommend adding a little and tasting until it seems good to you. Thanks to Cooking with Amy for the fish sauce link.)

For each salad:
(all measurements can be adjusted to taste)
1 cup diced cooked chicken or turkey
1/4 red onion, sliced into rings (or sliced green onions)
1 cup chopped green or red cabbage (next time I might use all green)
1/2 cup sliced radishes
1/4-1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Mix dressing ingredients in bottle with tight-fitting lid nd shake until combined. Put diced chicken and red onion in plastic bowl and pour over a generous amount of dressing. Let marinate 15 minutes or longer. When ready to serve, combine other ingredients and pour chicken/onion/dressing mixture over, adding more dressing if desired. Serve immediately.

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South Beach Suggestions:

Made with Splenda, this salad would be perfect for any phase of The South Beach Diet. It would taste great with something like Thai Barbecue Chicken with Cilantro or Roasted Salmon with Balsamic Sauce. For phase two or three you could add something like Brown Rice with Cashews and Herbs.