I love salads.
They are such a lovely assortment of textures and flavors, and the ingredient possibilities are endless; say you stay strictly on the vegetarianside- you’re safe with a hearty salad packed with plant based protein (think spinach, legumes, tofu, barley.. the list goes on!).. or packed with chicken, lean beef, or seafood- the carnivores, like myself, are winning, too.
The cafeteria here at work features a custom salad everyday, and with daily email blast of ‘lunch specials’ I ‘oooo and ahhh’ over what they have for the day- wishing I could spend my monies on a salad. Today it is Chicken Taco Salad (complete with the big crunchy shell), yesterday it was Balsamic Salmon & Strawberry Cobb..
**sigh**
I suppose I should stick with my heated leftovers.
Today’s CB salad is inspired by one of Asian decent- particularly close to it’s cousin- the slaw.
Any of my CB people know my love for a good slaw. Although this was served in the CB house as a side dish, it would most definitley suffice as a supper salad.
The dressing for this noodle salad would work on your favorite slaw- but two key ingredients you MUST never forget, whether this salad, or any other Asian inspired dressing: sesame oil, which is absolutely one of my favorite ingredients for finishing a dish, and ginger. The flavor of them together brings dishes to a whole other level.
So- in case you didn’t catch this, salads are my favorite thing to eat. Or one of them at least. My palate is not snobby- I have a WIDE range of flavor preferences, but nothing beats a hearty salad.
What about you? Favorite thing to eat?
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinager
- 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
- 1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cups (3-inch) diagonally sliced asparagus (about 1 pound)
- 8 ounces uncooked fine rice noodles or angel hair pasta
- 1 pound cooked small salad shrimp, thawed if frozen
- 1 medium cucumber, peeled, halved-lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions (about 3)
- 3/4 cup chopped fresh tomato
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 tablespoons chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts (optional)
Instructions
For the dressing, combine lime juice and next 8 ingredients (juice through garlic) in a large bowl, and stir well with a whisk.
Steam asparagus, covered, 1 1/2 minutes. Set aside.
Cook noodles in boiling water 1 1/2 minutes; drain. Rinse under cold water. Drain well.
Add asparagus, cooked noodles, shrimp, and next 5 ingredients (shrimp through cilantro), and toss well. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts.
Nutritional Information:
Calories: 280; Fat: 7 g; Carbohydratel: 42 g; Fiber: 3 g; Protein: 16 g; Sodium: 530 mg
