date paste Archives - Perry's Plate

Chopped Asian Salad Recipe

Natalie Perry — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 16:41:22 +0000

With 15+ years of perfecting healthy, vibrant recipes, I can tell you this Asian Chopped Salad checks all the boxes—crunchy, nutrient-packed veggies, a tangy sesame vinaigrette, and just the right amount of crunch from toasted nuts and sesame seeds.

As a pro in the kitchen, I can confidently say this salad isn’t just a side dish—it’s a meal. I mean… you can add protein if you want. Cooked chicken, shrimp, or steak would be super delish.

This recipe takes just 20 minutes to prep, making it perfect for meal prep or impressing your guests with minimal effort. Plus, the versatility of this salad means you can customize it however you like—whether you add protein or keep it plant-powered, it’s a win either way.

Taylor Farms Asian Chopped Salad Copy Cat

I fell in love with that Taylor Farms Asian Chopped Salad kit at Costco. We made it for YEARS. And suddenly… it was gone.

After some research (because copycatting things is one of my super powers) I made my own version! I love this one even more because I can control what kind of oil and how much sweetener is in the dressing.

Yes, it takes a little longer than ripping a bag open and tossing it with a pre-made dressing, but it’s so fresh and vibrant. I'll give you some time saving tips, and I know you’ll love this salad as much as I do.

Chopped Asian Salad Recipe Ingredients

Coconut aminos – You can also use soy sauce or tamari (GF soy sauce), but use less since it’s stronger than coconut aminos.
Avocado oil - You can also use light olive oil. I don’t recommend using extra-virgin olive oil because it’s too strong tasting.
Rice vinegar
Sesame oil
Honey - I’ve used Date Paste here, and it works well, too if you’re wanting to avoid concentrated sugars.
Fresh ginger
Asian chili paste – sriracha and sambal oelek are my favorites
Fresh garlic
Salt
Shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix - pre-shredded veg for the win!
More shredded vegetables – like shredded carrots, mung bean sprouts, or shredded Brussels Sprouts
Fresh cilantro
1 cup chopped toasted mixed nuts (like cashew pieces and sliced almonds)
Toasted sesame seeds
Fried wonton strips – this is completely optional. The original salad kit had them, but if you don’t want them (or would like this recipe to be totally gluten free), then don’t use them.

How to make Asian Chopped Salad

Put all of the dressing ingredients in a lidded glass jar and shake it really hard to combine it well.
Put the cabbage/coleslaw mix in a large salad bowl with the vegetable add-ins and cilantro.
Pour the dressing over the top and toss to combine.
Add the nuts and sesame seeds and gently mix them in.
Serve.

Asian Salad Variations

Make it spicy by adding more Asian chili sauce into the dressing and mixing in some pickled jalapeños to the salad.
Add some meat – cooked chicken, steak, or shrimp would be SUPER good here rounding this out as a whole meal with added protein. Tofu? Ok, sure. I don’t like it, but yes. You could.
Make the whole thing a stir fry! Fry up all the veg in a large skillet and toss it with the dressing and toppings after it’s crisp-tender.

How to serve Asian Chopped Salad

If you want to serve this salad with a side or some protein, here are a few options that would work well!

Pellet Grill Smoked Chicken

Roasted Garlic Mushrooms

Sautéed Green Beans

Quick Marinated Cucumbers

Instant Pot Coconut Rice

Storing this Asian Chopped Salad Recipe

Because this salad has a lot of sturdy vegetables it won’t get slimy as quickly if you store it dressed. Just put it in a lidded container and chill for up to 5 days.

Paleo Asian Chopped Salad Recipe

Yield: Serves 6 as a side

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Whip up a fresh, healthy version of the salad kit found at Costco and other grocery stores. This Paleo Asian Chopped Salad is a cinch to make and makes a light lunch or a welcomed potluck offering.

Ingredients

For the dressing:

¼ cup coconut aminos
¼ cup avocado oil
3 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon Date Paste or honey
1-inch knob of ginger, finely grated
1-2 teaspoons Asian chili paste or sambal oelek, to taste
½ teaspoon minced fresh garlic
Generous pinch of salt

For the salad:

8 ounce package of shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix
2 cups (or handfuls) of vegetable add-ins, like shredded carrots, mung bean sprouts, or shredded Brussels Sprouts
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup chopped toasted mixed nuts (like cashew pieces and sliced almonds)
1 - 2 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

Put all of the dressing ingredients in a lidded glass jar and shake it really hard to combine it well.
Put the cabbage/coleslaw mix in a large salad bowl with the vegetable add-ins and cilantro. Pour the dressing over the top and toss to combine. Add the nuts and sesame seeds and gently mix them in. If you toss it too much they'll end up at the bottom of the bowl.
Serve.

Notes

Nat's Note: If you have trouble finding or would rather not use coconut aminos, you can substitute 2 tablespoons of tamari (wheat free soy sauce).

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Mini Skillet Meatloaves (Paleo/Whole30)

Natalie Perry — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 13:27:35 +0000

These cute little skillet meatloaves are a quick weeknight meal that cook up much faster than a traditional meatloaf!

This is another recipe from my archives (circa 2010) that I picked up, dusted off, and made it healthier for you. The last time I made them was about two kids ago, and I had forgotten how good they were.

These Mini Skillet Meatloaves were a HUGE hit with my kids, too. They wolfed them so fast I had to make them again the next week just so I could snap some photos.

No complaints, here. They also made fantastic Whole30 leftover lunches.

We get our grass-fed beef from the local university's ranch. It's so easy -- I just walk in there and pull a bunch of meat out of the freezer and get my card swiped and it doesn't require my firstborn (take that Whole Foods). They've got grass-fed/pastured beef, lamb, and pork. I don't ever want to move.

These Mini Skillet Meatloaves are a cinch to throw together. You could even form the meatballs a few days in advance!

Oh, and three seconds after I divided up this meat and snapped a photo, I realized I forgot to add the onions.

Ok, that's better.

And then I realized I forgot to add the chili powder. Sigh.

I was trying to cram this project into the last few minutes of a certain 1-year-old's naptime.

Little meatloaves!

I've always wondered if meatloaf was just one, giant meatball. So these mini meatballs would also be extra large meatballs?

(Psst, I just sprinkled the chili powder over them at this point. One day I'll have my act together, I promise.)

The original recipe for the sauce was basically ketchup, brown sugar, and vinegar. After replacing the ketchup in my favorite Sloppy Joe's recipe with tomato sauce and honey with no devastating consequences, I did the same thing here.

If you're on a round of Whole30, just use Date Paste in the sauce. That's what I did with mine, and I didn't even notice a difference! You could also use ¼ cup of fruit juice (like apple or pineapple).

Ok, cook time.

Brown the meatloaves so they get a nice, caramelized crust.

TIP: If you're using a stainless pan and you have trouble with meat sticking, it's probably due to one of two things:

Your pan isn't hot enough. Let the pan get hot -- not to the point where the oil is smoking, but just before then. Water flicked into the pan should sizzle a lot.
The meat gets poked and moved around too early. Once you put the meat in there and hear a sizzle, DON'T TRY TO MOVE IT. I know it's tempting. I like to fidget with what I'm cooking, too. Let it cook for a few minutes first. Then try to get a spatula underneath. If you are met with a lot of resistance, then it's not ready to flip. Once the meat forms that crust it will release itself from the pan -- for the most part. Sometimes you'll still have a little bit of stickage, but it's a lot better if you wait.

If food sticks to the pan anyway, (sometimes it does happen) add some liquid to the pan while it's still hot and as it bubbles and sizzles, scrape the bits off the bottom. (It's called deglazing the pan if you've noticed that word in recipes before.) Sometimes you'll take out the meat first and add some liquid for the next step in the recipe. Sometimes you're at the very end of cooking, so take out the meat and then use water to deglaze. Sometimes you'll add the sauce right in with the meat (like in this case) and it'll deglaze itself as it continues to cook.

See those bits that are kind of stuck to the bottom? It's fine, really. In fact, it's a good thing because it'll give that basic tomato sauce mixture a giant flavor boost.

Cute, right? And you don't have to wait over an hour for it to bake in the oven. I call that a win-win.

If you'd rather have your meatloaf in a true loaf form and want something clean AND easy for a weeknight, try the Paleo Meatloaf from Sheena at Noshtastic!

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If you make one of my recipes, I'd love to see! Post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

Mini Skillet Meatloaves (Paleo & Whole30)

Yield: Makes 8-9 mini meatloaves

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

These little meatloaves are perfect for when you're in the mood for meatloaf but don't want to wait a whole afternoon for it to bake. OK, maybe it doesn't take that long, but an hour and a half is a long time to wait when you're hangry.

Ingredients

2 pounds of ground meat (beef, pork, or turkey)
⅔ cup minced sweet onion (about 1 small onion)
⅓ cup blanched almond flour
1 large egg
3 Tablespoons coconut aminos
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 ½ teaspoon sea salt, divided
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons avocado or coconut oil
1 cup tomato sauce
3 Tablespoons Date Paste or 3 dates, pitted and minced
3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

Place the ground meat into a large bowl.
Add the minced onion, almond flour, egg, coconut aminos, garlic, chili powder, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the black pepper.
Mix everything with your hands until combined. Be sure not to squeeze the meat between your fingers - be gentle or else you'll end up with squishy, mealy meat. Flatten the meat in the bowl and score the top to divide it evenly into 8 sections.
Shape each section into a 3-to-4-inch oval loaf and place them on a large plate or back into the bowl you were using. You may end up with extra meat in the middle -- if so, just make a 9th meatloaf. Set aside. (Can be done ahead of time.)
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the loaves and brown about 3 minutes per side.
Meanwhile, whisk the tomato sauce, date paste, and vinegar, onion powder, and remaining ½ teaspoon of salt, and brush a few tablespoonfuls over the browned loaves.
Add 1 cup water to the skillet, cover and simmer over low heat until cooked through, about 12-15 minutes.
Transfer the loaves to a clean plate. Add the remaining tomato mixture to the skillet and cook over high heat, stirring, until thick, 3 to 5 minutes.
At this point you can pour the sauce over the meatloaves and serve or return the meatloaves to the skillet and toss them around in the sauce to coat them well.
Serve.

Notes

Nat's Note: If you're not doing Whole30 and don't want to use dates, substitute 2 Tablespoons of honey. Use erythritol if you're low-carb.

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Whole30 Enchilada Sauce

Natalie Perry — Sat, 28 Jan 2017 13:59:01 +0000

Here's a little gem for you -- a paleo & Whole30 enchilada sauce that's naturally sweetened and vegetable oil free!

It's incredibly easy, too. Just dump everything in a pot on the stove, and let it simmer for a few minutes.

Really, that's it. It stores for a couple of weeks so you can either use the whole thing in a pan of enchiladas or you can pull it out and spoon some over your breakfast all week long.

One morning I took some leftover Southwest Cabbage Slaw, threw a fried egg on top and drizzled some warm enchilada sauce. Huevos Rancheros Saladero? I dunno, but whatever you want to call it, this enchilada sauce brought new life to those sometimes-mundane Whole30 egg breakfasts.

And Whole30 aside -- this is the best homemade enchilada sauce I've ever made. You know I love to make my own homemade staples, and I'm excited to add this one to my file!

Make some extra sauce and try my Vegetarian Enchilada Recipe!

If you make one of my recipes, I'd love to see! Post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

Whole30 Compliant Enchilada Sauce

Yield: Makes about 2 cups

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons avocado oil
¼ cup chili powder
2 cups chicken stock
1 6-ounce can of tomato paste
1 Tablespoon tapioca flour or arrowroot starch/flour
1 Tablespoon Date Paste (see note)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chili powder and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Whisk in the remaining ingredients and bring it to a low boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes. The sauce should be smooth and slightly thickened.
Taste, and adjust the seasonings if necessary. If it seems to acidic to you, add another teaspoon or so of date paste.
Use the sauce right away or transfer it to an airtight container and chill until ready to use. Keeps for about 10 days in the refrigerator.

Notes

Nat's Note: Date paste is super easy to make, and a great staple to have on hand during a round of Whole30 to use in sauces and vinaigrettes that need a little sweetening for balance. If you're not on Whole30, feel free to use an equal amount of honey instead.

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