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Crunchy napa cabbage, fresh mandarin segments, and pops of blueberry wrapped in a sweet and tangy dressing with Asian flair make this fresh, low fat salad burst with flavor. Make as a main with chicken breast or leave out the meat for a tasty side dish. THMs this salad is a great way to get those slimming, healthy carbs (and veggies) into your day.

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Napa cabbage is a type of Chinese cabbage and may be labeled as such in your local grocery store. Sometimes things like bok choy or other Asian greens get labeled as Chinese cabbage so make sure you’re looking for an oblong head with fairly tightly packed leaves.

Look below for the ingredients photo if you’re unsure what napa cabbage looks like.

Not surprising, of course, many Asian-style napa cabbage salad recipes abound out there. And, of course, I have to put my own spin on it!

I wanted a low fat THM E recipe, so it also needs healthy carb sources. I’ve gone with fresh fruits to give a sweet pop of flavor amidst the crunchy salad.

As a stand-alone salad, this is more of a Pulled Back E meal as it doesn’t have the full amount of net carbs allotted for E’s. This leaves room on your plate for more E fuel if you like!

I’ll give some options below in the HOW TO INCLUDE THIS MANDARIN BLUEBERRY NAPA CABBAGE SALAD IN YOUR THM MEAL PLANNING section below.

What Do I Need For This Recipe?

This salad is full of healthy veggies and fruits. All those non-starchies are so helpful in making the THM plan work. They help fill us up as well as provide essential nutrients.

You’ll need:

• Napa cabbage
• Clementine oranges (a type of Mandarin orange)
• Blueberries
• Snow peas
• Red onion
• Green onion
• Carrots
• ACV (raw apple cider vinegar)
• Sesame oil (toasted gives more robust flavor)
• Almond milk
• Liquid aminos
• Fresh ginger
• Fresh garlic
• Celery seed
• Gluccie (glucomannan powder)
• Sweetener (optional, I use THM Pure Stevia Extract)
• Cooked chicken breast or other ultra lean protein (optional)

The gluccie helps thicken and emusify the dressing. If you don’t have gluccie you can try xanthan gum. Or leave it out and be sure to toss the salad well every time you serve.

I do recommend using either gluccie or xanthan gum, though, as it coats the salad better.

Can I Use Canned Mandarin Oranges?

If you’re following the THM plan, canned mandarin oranges are not on-plan. I wouldn’t recommend just rinsing them as the added sugar in the syrup would soak into the orange segments.

I searched for mandarin oranges in water but the only product I found also contained off-plan sweeteners.

Fresh clementines (the small oranges commonly called “cuties”) are a type of Mandarin orange so I’m still calling this Mandarin Blueberry Napa Cabbage Salad.

If you’re interested in some geeky botanical and historical info on the mandarin orange, here you go.

Additionally, fresh fruits contain living enzymes that you miss out on with canned.

How To Fit This Mandarin Blueberry Napa Cabbage Salad Into Your THM Meal Planning.

This gorgeous, vibrant salad is low in fat and higher in healthy carbs. That makes it a THM E salad.

As written, you’ll get just under 20 grams of net carbs, so this is more of a Pulled Back E. This leaves room in your meal for more carb fuel if you need or want more.

I’ve personally found this salad very satisfying and I don’t add any additional carbs. However, my body does better with a bit less carbs in my E meals.

A full, 2 cup serving of this salad contains 4 grams of ADDED fat. The nutrition info in the recipe card also includes the fat naturally occurring in chicken breast and is not counted toward your added fat allowance for an E meal.

If you want more carbs, consider adding:

• Small or medium baked sweet potato topped with 0% Greek yogurt and chives or green onions
• Easy Herbed Quinoa or Brown Rice (made fat free)
• Additional fresh fruit for dessert, such as a cup of mango slices, small apple, or even more clementines and blueberries
• A half or whole sandwich on sprouted bread with lean meat. Use my Low Fat Mayo – only 0.5 grams of fat per tablespoon!
• A bowl of my Dairy Free Creamy Turkey and Rice Soup.
• My Blueberry Lemon Smoothie (with a Secret) for dessert.

You can also leave out the chicken if you want a meat-free salad. Just make sure you have enough on-plan, lean protein. My yummy Lentil Burgers make a great meatless AND carb source option, too.

I hope you love this salad as much as I do! It satisfies my craving for crunchy, sweet, and tangy. And the fresh, vibrant flavors make my belly happy!

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