Saturday, May 25, 2013

A Thai Twist on Salad!

This week, I got a basket full of fresh produce from Live Power Farm. It included various Asian greens, mustard greens, Bok Choy, turnips, lettuce and more. I was feeling a little tired of the same ol' classic garden salad... so I dug through my recipe file and found this tasty "Tangled Thai Salad." It just needed a few adaptations to fit the fresh veggies I had on hand from my CSA basket, the farmers' market, and my garden.

Tangled Thai Salad (adapted from "Fresh Vegetarian Restaurant")
Bok Choy, chopped (about 2 cups)
Asian greens, thinly sliced (chiffonade... about 1 cup)
Mustard and turnip greens, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
Turnips, cut into small sticks (about 1 cup)
Carrot peels (long strips made by the veggie peeler... one medium carrot)
4 tbsp Peanut Lime Dressing  (recipe follows)
3 slices cucumber, halved
2 tsp chopped raw peanuts
1 lime wedge
2 to 3 tbsp chopped cilantro (from the garden!)
1. Put Bok Choy and greens in a large, shallow serving bowl (or plate). Top with turnips.
2. Pile the carrot on top and drizzle with dressing.
3. Garnish with the cucumber, peanuts, lime, and cilantro.
Peanut Lime Dressing
This dressing will keep for up to a week in the fridge. It is delicious on the Tangled Thai Salad, but would be equally good on any salad or even poured on top of cold noodles.
Makes 1 cup
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tbsp)
2 tbsp tightly packed cilantro
2 tbsp natural peanut butter
2 tbsp + 2 tsp lime juice
1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp tamari
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp peeled and chopped ginger
2 tsp coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp organic sugar
3/4 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup sunflower oil
1. In a blender, puree all ingredients except the sunflower oil.
2. With blender running, add sunflower oil in a thin stream until dressing is emulsified.

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