Pad Thai Salad

Pad Thai… mmm… What’s not to love about a bowl full of thick noodles slathered in a creamy peanut butter sauce, right? Well, it’s pretty hard not to love a crisp, refreshing salad with noodle-like ribbons of vegetables covered in an equally as creamy peanut butter sauce.  When I made my salad, I used a vegetable peeler to essentially peel my carrot and cucumber into thin ribbons.  You could always chop yours if you choose to, but I highly recommend using the peeling method.  I know the difference is only a matter of cutting, but the texture when you use the peeler is drastically different than if you simply bite into a chunk of cucumber or carrot.  The thickness and texture of the cucumber slices remind me of Pad Thai noodles and the taste combined with the texture really take me back to eating a big bowl of Pad Thai. 

Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the salad:

• Spring Mix Lettuce
• 1 cucumber
• 1 large or 2 smaller carrots
• 3 scallions
• ¼ cup roughly chopped cashews or peanuts
• Sesame seeds, optional

For the dressing:

• ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• Juice of half a lime
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon sriracha sauce
• ½ inch piece of ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon water

Directions:

For the salad:

1. Wash and dry desired amount of spring mix lettuce and arrange in two bowls.
2. Peel cucumber and carrot to remove outer layer of skin.  Once skin is removed, continue to peel strips off of each using the same peeler.  The ribbons add a nice texture to the salad, as opposed to just chopping each one. 
3. Arrange cucumber and carrot ribbons over lettuce.
4. Thinly slice scallions, divide slices into two and distribute over each of the bowls.
5. Roughly chop ¼ cup of either cashews or peanuts, whichever you prefer or have on hand, and distribute over the salads.
6. Sprinkle sesame seeds over each if you are using them.

For the Dressing:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and thin enough to pour over salads.  If you make the dressing before you arrange your salad, it will solidify and not pour well.  If this happens, re-blend it just before you are ready to use it and it will thin out.