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Chopped Thai Salad with Honey Garlic Dressing

Yield: 8 Servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

Dressing:

  • ¼ cup canola, vegetable, avocado or other neutral-flavored oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  • ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 heaping tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger, or ginger paste
  • ½ to 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Salad:

  • 4 cups chopped kale or baby kale, about 113 grams
  • 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce, about 113 grams
  • 3 large carrots, peeled and small diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and small diced
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and small diced
  • ½ cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 to 2 green onions, white and green parts chopped
  • ¾ cup roasted cashews
  • 1 to 2 cups frozen, shelled edamame (fully cooked), thawed and patted dry (see note)

Instructions 

  • Combine all the dressing ingredients together in a blender and process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed.
  • In a serving or salad bowl, add the chopped kale, romaine, carrots, bell peppers, cilantro and green onions.
  • In a food processor (or blender...or by hand with an old-fashioned knife and cutting board), add the edamame and pulse until minced but still a little chunky in texture. Scrape the edamame into the salad bowl.
  • Add the cashews to the food processor (or blender...or again, with a knife and cutting board) and pulse until coarsely chopped to desired texture. Add the cashews to the salad bowl.
  • Give the salad ingredients a light toss.
  • Pour about half of the dressing over the salad, and toss to combine. Add additional dressing to taste, and serve immediately. To preserve crisp leftovers, add the dressing only to individual servings instead of the whole batch so leftover salad doesn't get soggy.

Notes

Edamame: is often available in the frozen vegetable section. Trader Joe's sells already shelled, fully cooked, frozen edamame, but I've also seen it in a couple local grocery stores' freezer section. If you can only find edamame still shelled, defrost and pop the edamame out of the shells. Most frozen edamame I've seen is already steamed/fully cooked. If it's not, steam it for 4-5 minutes, cool, and then use in the recipe.
Chickpeas: if you can't find edamame at all, try subbing chickpeas (well-drained) or fresh or thawed (and patted dry) green peas. If using either of these, make sure not to process too much or you'll end up with paste instead of the delightful minced texture you're after.