Crunchy, chopped Asian Cranberry Almond Salad with tangy dried cranberries, sliced almonds, cilantro, and the best 2-minute homemade sesame dressing!
We’re having salad Monday on a Thursday is that okay?? I could have/should have/would have shared this with you on Monday but time got away from me…. and now it’s Thursday so…..
LIFE. right?
Annnnyway, this salad. Woah. So good. Since we’ve been back from the cruise I’ve been craving fresh, bright, summery foods. I tend to feel that way whenever I’ve been eating out for many days in a row, I just want to get my hands on some fresh fruit or veggies and go wild. So for the past week and a half I’ve been devouring twice the amount of salad I usually do and folks…. that’s a lot of salad.
This Asian cranberry almond salad is my favorite this week. Those tart cranberries are like little pieces of gold you just want to dig for the whole time you’re eating this salad so just take it from me and make sure you do not go light on those – put a whole bunch in there. and yes, you can definitely use your favorite store-bought Asian salad dressing BUT if you have 2 minutes ( and you do, you really do) then whip up this amazing sesame dressing I’ve included for you – you will loooooove it!
Asian Cranberry Almond Salad + Sesame Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 bag tricolor cole slaw - (without dressing)
- ½ red onion - sliced or chopped
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ⅓ cup almonds
- ¼ cup cilantro - roughly chopped
Dressing
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce - (I used low sodium)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Add cole slaw, onions, cranberries, almonds, and cilantro to a large bowl.
- Prepare the dressing by combining all dressing ingredients in a jar (or similar container), cover and shake well. Toss salad with dressing and serve immediately OR if preparing ahead, cover salad with plastic wrap and store dressing and salad in fridge, then toss immediately before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe adapted from Reluctant Entertainer.
A big thanks to Diamond of California Nuts for sponsored this awesome salad recipe!
ASIAN CRANBERRY ALMOND SALAD + SESAME DRESSING is so awesome. I love it. You inspire me so much. I am big fan of your blog. Thank you for many amazing dishes 🙂
Thanks so much Jennifer! This salad is so yummy – plus those colors are so pretty I just want to eat it all day long haha. 🙂
This looks good but I’m wondering if you served it as a main dish? If not and you wanted to how would you marinate the chicken for a salad such as this? While just this salad alone sounds great for me I’ve recently found out I have low sugar and have to increase my protein plus my husband would probably ask where the meat was lol… but it looks so good! My brain is just fried… for the life of me I can’t think of a good way to marinate chicken to go in this salad… maybe just plain?
the test of sesame made this colorful salad even yummier, lovely one.
It seem so easy to do and looks so delicious. I really love it and i will make it for my lose weight target.
It looks totally fresh, healthy and yummy! The best thing is that it is also colorful and attractive that my children won’t resist to eat vegetable anymore. Thank you very much for sharing this wonderful recipe. Love it so much! I’m looking for your next posts.