Chinese Chicken Salad

I know I recently confessed that I really don't like salad but in the case of this Chinese Chicken Salad from Simply Recipes, I can make an exception. In fact, I love this salad. The tang of the rice vinegar and the subtle heat of the chili flakes and ginger makes for a delicious dressing. And I pretty much go crazy for anything cilantro related so it had me there. This salad is so simple to make and is perfect for lunch or double the recipe for a light dinner. With temperatures around here hovering at a good 30 degrees, the last thing I want to do is spend too much time in the kitchen.

Recipe from Simply Recipes:

Salad:
1/2 head napa cabbage, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups leftover cooked chicken
1/2 red pepper, julienned
3-4 scallions, sliced
1 carrot, julienned
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Dressing:
2 tablespoons tamari or 3 tablespoons regular soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar (or add 1 teaspoon of sugar to unseasoned rice vinegar)
1 teaspoon ginger, finely grated
1 clove garlic, finely grated or minced
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes

Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl. Make the dressing by mixing the rice vinegar, ginger and garlic together and allowing the mixture to sit for 15 minutes. Whisk the remaining dressing ingredients into the rice vinegar mixture. Toss the dressing with the salad ingredients and mix well.

Serves 4.