Pink Recipes: Sesame Asian Salad, Chicken Optional

I’m a huge fan of  asian salads in a variety of formats, each person has their own recipe, each restaurant makes it differently, but I love them all. What I’m not overly fond of? The extra unnecessary calories added in at restaurants, the price and never fully knowing what’s in my salad. So, when a craving struck for this crisp salad option, I hit the produce aisle, then set up shop in my lab (the kitchen), to perfect a roughly inexpensive version at home. Is your mouth watering yet? I’d like to mention that I sliced, grated and diced enough for two, possibly even three generous portions, so the recipe accounts for that.

Ingredients

Salad

2 carrots peeled and shredded or grated
1/2 cucumber, diced into small cubes
1/2 red pepper, thin sliced
2-3 green onions sliced (I used scissors to just chop them up into small pieces)
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 head cabbage, rough chopped into small pieces
1/4 cup unsalted peanuts

Dressing

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 shakes red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ginger (I used powdered, but you could also use ginger root and grate it)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon peanut butter, or nut butter of your choice

NOTE: I let all of the dressing ingredients sit in a sealed container for 15-20 minutes, then shook vigorously.

Pour desired amount of dressing on salad and shake! I shook mine in a sealed container, a ziplock bag would work well also. If you aren’t eating right away, I would suggest holding off on the dressing until you’re ready to eat.

If you’re looking for a fuller salad, throw some diced chicken into the mix for an added element.