34. Thai Crunch Salad with Peanut Dressing

This is a delicious salad, perfect for a light summer dinner with grilled chicken.  It’s a little spicy, a little sweet and a little something....that you can’t quite put your finger on.  Probably the lime juice and ginger making it a bit exotic.

Ingredients

4 cups chopped Napa cabbage or shredded cole slaw mix

1 cup grated, shredded carrots

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced into bite-sized pieces

1 small English cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded and thinly sliced

1 cup cooked and shelled edamame

2 medium scallions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro

Peanut Dressing

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp honey

2 1/2 Tbsp sugar

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1” piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves

For the dressing, combine all of the ingredients except for the cilantro in a blender and process until completely smooth.  Add the cilantro and blend for a few seconds until the cilantro is finely chopped.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine.  If serving right away, drizzle the peanut dressing over the top and toss; otherwise, serve the dressing on the side so the salad doesn’t get soggy.

Serves 4

Thanks to Once Upon a Chef for creating this delicious salad!