How's the eating clean challenge going? Feeling stronger? Healthier? More energized? How about that palate? Are your veggies tasting more delicious yet?
So, I know how hard it can be to make things from scratch, especially when you're making big changes like unprocessed foods. For those of you who have never cooked before or don't really know where to start, this salad is a great place to call the starting line. It makes a ton, so it's great for leftovers for lunch or as a side to another dinner. It's delicious and really quite simple. Some of the ingredients you might not have, but they all save well and, hey, you've gotta start your pantry somewhere!
I know that I've heard a lot of people comment that they don't have the ingredients I list. I try to, and will continue to, list useful alternatives. I will say, too, that my pantry is a constant work in progress. When I left for college, flour, sugar, salt, pepper, and perhaps basil and cinnamon were about all I had in the cupboard. As I started cooking more for myself, my pantry expanded. Each time I found a new recipe that just sounded awesome, I'd start gathering the necessary ingredients. Then I'd start looking for more recipes that needed those ingredients. It's been a super slow journey, but my pantry is now pretty well stocked and continues to grow as my palate expands and my recipe repertoire develops. For example, I LOVE thai food. The spices and complexities, built layer upon layer...it's amazing! The Thai pantry? That's a WHOLE other ballgame! The process of expanding my pantry is slow and gradual, I still often use substitutes instead of investing in some of more rare ingredients (like birds eye chilies). A quick google substitutes search can be SUPER useful. Anyway, this recipe requires some perhaps "less common" ingredients. However, the majority of the ingredients you are unlikely to have in your pantry have a great shelf-life and will definitely come in handy in other recipes.
Crunchy Thai Salad
serves 4 as entree salad
adapted from How Sweet It Is
Chicken, shrimp, tofu, or pheasant (I use pheasant, ‘cause my dad keeps me well-stocked!)
Dressing
½ cup sweet chili sauce (you can get this in the oriental section of your grocery store; it lasts for….a long, long time in your fridge!)
¼ cup rice vinegar (or apple cider, again, lasts a super long time in fridge/shelf)
¼-1/3 cup canned coconut milk (the excess can be put in an ice cube tray and frozen, to be used in the future or for this)
2 cloves of minced garlic (about 2 tsp)
1 tsp finely diced fresh ginger (ginger root can be frozen and costs next to nothing!)
1 lime, juiced
1 Tbs creamy peanut butter (natural)
2 tsp soy sauce (again, lasts FOR-EV-ER…well, not at our house, ‘cause we use it in a lot of stuff like this)
**If you want your dressing to be cold, make sure you make it first, way, way before the salad (hence why I’m going to give you the directions to make the dressing/meat first) If you don’t care if your dressing is a bit warm (I didn’t), just the meat needs to be prepared beforehand; everything else will come together pretty quickly.
The chicken/tofu/shrimp are all optional. If you want it, cook as appropriate for each (roasted chicken with oil and salt and pepper/shrimp quickly sautéed/tofu browned in skillet or oven). This is also a GREAT place for leftovers. If you had extra chicken or something, just shred it up a bit and use for this salad!
Combine all the dressing ingredients together in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Mix well. Bring to a boil and then simmer until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and place in a container to cool. I like using a little mason jar; works well to save the leftovers!
Salad
1 medium napa cabbage, chopped
4-6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 large cucumber, partially pealed and then sliced and quartered
1-2 medium carrots, chopped or sliced
2/3 cup edamame (I get my frozen and just take out what I need; also great for this)
1 Tbs fresh, chopped cilantro or 1 tsp cilantro “paste” (I like to buy herbs like this in a little tube; they last much longer and still taste super fresh!)
2/3 cup peanuts, chopped or otherwise
Combine all the salad ingredients in a super large bowl. Dish out into plates or serving bowls. Top with chicken/shrimp/tofu, if using and then drizzle with dressing. Enjoy! And then enjoy the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. :)
I know that I've heard a lot of people comment that they don't have the ingredients I list. I try to, and will continue to, list useful alternatives. I will say, too, that my pantry is a constant work in progress. When I left for college, flour, sugar, salt, pepper, and perhaps basil and cinnamon were about all I had in the cupboard. As I started cooking more for myself, my pantry expanded. Each time I found a new recipe that just sounded awesome, I'd start gathering the necessary ingredients. Then I'd start looking for more recipes that needed those ingredients. It's been a super slow journey, but my pantry is now pretty well stocked and continues to grow as my palate expands and my recipe repertoire develops. For example, I LOVE thai food. The spices and complexities, built layer upon layer...it's amazing! The Thai pantry? That's a WHOLE other ballgame! The process of expanding my pantry is slow and gradual, I still often use substitutes instead of investing in some of more rare ingredients (like birds eye chilies). A quick google substitutes search can be SUPER useful. Anyway, this recipe requires some perhaps "less common" ingredients. However, the majority of the ingredients you are unlikely to have in your pantry have a great shelf-life and will definitely come in handy in other recipes.
Crunchy Thai Salad
serves 4 as entree salad
adapted from How Sweet It Is
Chicken, shrimp, tofu, or pheasant (I use pheasant, ‘cause my dad keeps me well-stocked!)
Dressing
½ cup sweet chili sauce (you can get this in the oriental section of your grocery store; it lasts for….a long, long time in your fridge!)
¼ cup rice vinegar (or apple cider, again, lasts a super long time in fridge/shelf)
¼-1/3 cup canned coconut milk (the excess can be put in an ice cube tray and frozen, to be used in the future or for this)
2 cloves of minced garlic (about 2 tsp)
1 tsp finely diced fresh ginger (ginger root can be frozen and costs next to nothing!)
1 lime, juiced
1 Tbs creamy peanut butter (natural)
2 tsp soy sauce (again, lasts FOR-EV-ER…well, not at our house, ‘cause we use it in a lot of stuff like this)
**If you want your dressing to be cold, make sure you make it first, way, way before the salad (hence why I’m going to give you the directions to make the dressing/meat first) If you don’t care if your dressing is a bit warm (I didn’t), just the meat needs to be prepared beforehand; everything else will come together pretty quickly.
The chicken/tofu/shrimp are all optional. If you want it, cook as appropriate for each (roasted chicken with oil and salt and pepper/shrimp quickly sautéed/tofu browned in skillet or oven). This is also a GREAT place for leftovers. If you had extra chicken or something, just shred it up a bit and use for this salad!
Combine all the dressing ingredients together in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Mix well. Bring to a boil and then simmer until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and place in a container to cool. I like using a little mason jar; works well to save the leftovers!
Salad
1 medium napa cabbage, chopped
4-6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 large cucumber, partially pealed and then sliced and quartered
1-2 medium carrots, chopped or sliced
2/3 cup edamame (I get my frozen and just take out what I need; also great for this)
1 Tbs fresh, chopped cilantro or 1 tsp cilantro “paste” (I like to buy herbs like this in a little tube; they last much longer and still taste super fresh!)
2/3 cup peanuts, chopped or otherwise
Combine all the salad ingredients in a super large bowl. Dish out into plates or serving bowls. Top with chicken/shrimp/tofu, if using and then drizzle with dressing. Enjoy! And then enjoy the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. :)