Asian Broccoli Slaw with Chicken & Peanut Sauce

When the humidity rises and the summer heat has you sneaking away to stick your head in the freezer, the thought of heating up the house cooking becomes totally unappealing. That’s when salads transform from a healthy lunch option into a cool dinnertime oasis. This one is slightly adapted from a family recipe of fellow blogger Colleen from Flee Fly Flown. Her original recipe is just as good but since I am rarely able to follow a recipe as is, I put my own twists on it. You can serve it either as a crunchy side dish or add protein to make it a more substantial main dish, like I’ve done here.

Asian Broccoli Slaw
1 bag broccoli coleslaw
3 stalks celery, chopped
3-4 green onions, chopped
1/2 C slivered almonds or 1 C dry-roasted peanuts
chow mein noodles
1 pkg dry ramen noodles, broken into small chunks
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/4 C sugar
1/3 C white vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 packet ramen seasoning
grilled chicken breasts* (shrimp and tofu would also be good!)
Thai Peanut Sauce*
*optional

In a large bowl, combine broccoli slaw, chopped celery and chopped green onions. Toss in almonds or peanuts, chow mein noodles and broken ramen noodles. Separately, whisk together oil, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce and ramen seasoning. If serving immediately, pour dressing over slaw mixture and fold in to coat evenly. If you’re serving at a later time, store dressing separately and mix just before serving so that the slaw doesn’t get soggy.

If serving as a main dish, set slaw aside and combine ingredients for peanut sauce in a small saucepan. Meanwhile use the grill or a grill pan to cook meat. Dress individual portions with Thai Peanut Sauce.