:: Salad ::
1 Whole Cabbage
1 Medium Purple Onion
1/2 Large Bunch Cilantro
:: Dressing ::
1/2 Cup Oil
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Vinegar
1 Tbs Sesame Oil
1 Tbs Soy Sauce
:: Topping ::
Toasted Chopped Almonds
Toasted Sesame Seeds
:: Additional Topping ::
Thinly sliced or shredded chicken breast
I found the recipe here (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/vietnamese-chicken-and-mint-salad-recipe/index.html) — and this salad is awesome!!
Fruit salads are one of my favorite things to prepare. Everyone loves fruit, and the reaction of people when the eat it is just happiness. I consider it a MUST to adhere to two basic principles: Flavor diversity & Flavor compatibility. It’s a must for a good fruit salad to combine fruits that compliment each other instead of conflict.
Melon (Crenshaw, Casaba, Canary, Honeydew, Cantaloupe, etc) — as a strong neutral base
Pineapple — adds a sweetness and the acid helps preserve the fresh state
Apple — nice crisp apple just adds so much
Blueberry — gotta have berries
Kiwi — great flavor with a nice color diversity for presentation
Strawberry — yes please!
My “secret” ingredient for every fruit salad… cinnamon. It just makes it.
This is not law, just a basic outline. So many combinations can be made. Garnish with chopped nuts, dried berries, even a little bit of chopped mint for freshness. Fresh fruit is so refreshing.
:: BASE (mixed together) ::
1-2 heads of romaine lettuce
1 bunch of spinach
1 bunch of arugula (if available and fresh. adds a kinda spicy flavor to the base)
1/2 bunch of chopped green onions
1/2 bunch of cilantro
:: TOP (chopped and garnish style on top) ::
carrot peels (i use a potato peeler to get nice thin strip style peels)
celery
bell pepper (usually orange or yellow for color diversity.. gotta have presentation too =P)
jicama
tomato
cucumber
slivered almonds
dried cranberries
You can do all sorts of things to change it up depending on the style and what’s available. Add different types of produce, glaze some walnuts instead of almonds, mandarin orange slices, sliced chicken, croutons, etc, etc. My goal is to make a salad as healthy as possible yet full of flavor so it doesn’t require a salad dressing (or very little) to eat it.
