Vietnamese Cabbage-and-Chicken Salad

Being a Wisconsin girl with German heritage, my first instinct when preparing cabbage is to cook it down and serve it with sausage and beer. While that is undoubtedly delicious, the recent spate of meat-centric, heavy family dinners over the holidays left me craving something fresh and crunchy with a plethora of vibrant flavors (the Scandinavians and Germans are not exactly known for their liberal use of exotic spices), and this meal perfectly satisfied those needs while using up the lonely CSA cabbage (and radishes and carrots) that was lingering in my refrigerator. Fresh and crunchy cabbage, radishes, carrots, apple, and scallions blend together beautifully with a melange of classic Asian flavors, with just enough poached chicken to make it a light main course. This dressing isn't remotely exotic for those familiar with the flavors of Southeast Asia, but the tried-and-true combination of sesame oil, jalapeño, ginger, vinegar, fish sauce, lime, and cilantro was a fantastic way to bring my palate back to life. Although there was flavor and crunch to spare, I have one simple addition in mind for the next time this makes it to my dinner plate-a generous sprinkling of toasted, salted peanuts for just a bit of saltiness and richness in this otherwise light dish. It may seem a bit out of place to be eating a meal like this in what should be the depths of winter, but even once there's finally a blanket of snow on the ground I'll be happily clinging to tastes of warmer climates.

Vietnamese Cabbage-and-Chicken Salad

from Food and Wine

serves 4

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3)
3 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeds and ribs removed, sliced
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger
2 cups water
1 head green cabbage (about 2 1/2 pounds), shredded (about 2 1/2 quarts)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc mam)
1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
3 carrots, grated
3 radishes, grated (I used beauty heart/watermelon radishes, but any will do)
4 scallions including green tops, chopped
2 cups coarse-chopped mint, basil, cilantro, or dill, or a combination
1 tart apple, such as Granny Smith, cored and grated

1. Rub the chicken breasts with 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil. In a medium saucepan, combine the jalapeño, ginger, and water. Bring to a simmer, add the chicken, and cover the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the chicken steam for 5 minutes. Remove the chicken breasts from the saucepan; when they are cool enough to handle, pull them into shreds.

2. Meanwhile, in a large glass or stainless-steel bowl, combine the cabbage with the vinegar, fish sauce, lime juice, and the remaining 2 teaspoons salt. Toss and let stand for 10 minutes.

3. Add the carrots, radishes, scallions, 1 1/2 cups of the herbs, and the apple to the cabbage mixture. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Serve the salad topped with the chicken and the remaining 1/2 cup herbs.

Celeriac and Beauty Heart Radish Slaw

Celeriac and a beautiful giant beauty heart radish showed up in my CSA box and neither were ingredients I had ever cooked with before. I was familiar with celeriac (celery root) and how to use it in general, but I'd only ever cooked with regular radishes in the past. The beauty heart radish is truly a beautiful vegetable, with a vibrant fuchsia center hidden within a relatively plain white and green exterior. I wasn't really sure what I going to do with either of these vegetables, but when I saw a recipe for celery root slaw in the newest issue of Real Simple, I immediately thought of adapting it to include beauty heart radish. This dish definitely isn't for everyone as celery root, radish, and raw red onion are all very strong flavors, but I like the contrast between the crunchy, assertive vegetables and the rich sour cream. (It also isn't the most attractive dish as the radish turns everything an alarming shade of pink.)This pairs nicely with sausage for dinner, or with a piece of fruit and a slice of bread with cheese for a light and healthy lunch.

Celeriac and Beauty Heart Radish Slaw
adapted from Real Simple
serves 4 to 6

1 small celeriac (celery root; about 1 lb.), peeled
1 very large or multiple smaller beauty heart radish, peeled (about 2 pounds total celeriac and radish)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 dill pickles, cut into thin strips

Beauty heart radish

1. Coarsely grate the celeriac and radish. Squeeze some of the extra moisture out with a kitchen towel or paper towel. (This will help keep the slaw crisp.)

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice, mustard, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

3. Add the celery root, radish, onion, parsley, and pickles and toss to combine.