Vietnamese Chicken and Cabbage Salad

Lean and Green Recipes for Medifast

Yesterday was one of those days when the fastest way to get dinner done was to pick up pre-made rotisserie chicken at the store for my family.  We never finish an entire chicken in one meal so naturally I had to do something with the leftovers.  I picked a Vietnamese favorite of mine -- Vietnamese Chicken and Cabbage Salad.

This is very easy to make.  There's no cooking involved unless you don't have rotisserie chicken leftovers like I do.  In fact if you're still on the diet mode, the fat-burning state, just take about 1 lb of boneless chicken breast in a sauce pan, add enough water to cover the chicken by about 1/2 inch and boil for 10-15 minutes.  This way, you can control the ingredients in your chicken.

I'm on maintenance mode so I allow myself some carrots and onion but if you're still on diet mode, you can skip those.  It does not affect the overall enjoyment of this dish.  You will hardly notice the carrots missing.  I actually just add that to put some color to my dish.  The onion gives it a little more but because this is not allowed in the diet, just skip it.

On a hot day like yesterday, this was perfect.  No cooking necessary.  This dish can be served cold or at room temperature.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

3 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp white or cider vinegar
1/2 tbsp sweet leaf (or other sugar substitute equivalent to 1 tbsp of sugar)
1/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup thinly sliced onions (maintenance mode only)
1/4 cup fresh mint or cilantro
2 cups shredded cabbage
3/4 cup shredded carrots (maintenance mode only)
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

1. Combine lime juice, fish sauce, vinegar, sweet leaf (sugar), and pepper to make your dressing.  Mix until sweet leaf is dissolved.  If using onion, add this to the dressing and allow to soak for at least 10 minutes but not more than about 30.
2. In another bowl, combine mint, cabbage and carrots.
3. When ready to serve, add dressing mixed in #1, veggies in #2 and shredded chicken.  Toss to coat everything well.  Enjoy.

Vietnamese Beef Salad (Bo Luc Lac)

Bo Luc Lac

Prepare for this delicious recipe.  This is our favorite.  I have to warn you though that the substitute Sweet Leaf I use instead of sugar doesnt measure up to actually using sugar but this is delicious nevertheless.  As the name suggests (in Vietnamese), this is shaken beef.  So the secret to cooking is not to use any utensils.  You simply lift up your skillet and shake the beef around making the beef more tender (the garlic also helps with this as it has the power to tenderize meat).  You will love the aroma released every time you do this.  

I used watercress in this recipe but any green mix will do.  I just tried watercress for variety because I always eat spinach arugula and lettuce.  but the watercress is actually a lot more work because I separate the leaves out of the stems which are very bitter. 

Medifast Lean and Green Recipe
Beef Marinade
3-5 ozs rib-eye or New York Strip
1/8 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tbsp water
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1/8 tsp sweet leaf
1/16 tsp black pepper
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1-1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic

Salad
1/4 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp water
1/4 tsp sweet leaf
1/16 teaspoon black pepper
1 very thin onion slice (optional -- if added you would have a total of 4 condiment servings)
1/2 cup water cress (or any green mix)

Combine fish sauce, water, soy sauce, sugar, black pepper and marinate the beef. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Combine vinegar, water, sugar and black pepper for the watercress salad. Stir well. Add the onions. Toss well. Add the watercress to the bowl but do not toss. Keep the salad in the refrigerator while preparing the beef.

Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over high heat until garlic sizzles at once. Add the beef and let it cook undisturbed for 1 to 2 minutes. Shake the pan turning the beef to the other side. Add garlic and continue shaking until evenly browned and done to your liking. The key is shaking the beef. There is no need to use any utensils to sear the beef.

Toss the watercress to coat it with dressing and arrange on a serving platter. Scoop us the steak and pile it in the center of the watercress salad. Serve.

Lean and Green Guidelines
1 Lean
1 Healthy Fat Serving
1/2 Vegetable serving
3 Condiment servings