HomeFood & DrinkRecipe: Thai Salad

Recipe: Thai Salad

It is January. Diet month!! Personally, I do not mind losing a few holiday pounds, but I can’t do it with boring food.  The cabbage soup diet is not for me.

I need to chew. I must have flavor. A pretty plate is essential. I want a fullness that lingers. When I diet on foods that fill these parameters, I find it much much easier to lose the pounds.

One recipe that fulfills my requirements is my version of a Thai salad.  It is full of healthy and tasty vegetables, sliced, cut, slivered and chopped giving texture and color.  The dressing is no bottled diet dressing but homemade with real ingredients and divine flavors.

This salad is “clean” as is much of Thai food. The ingredients speak for themselves.

The Thai salad can be eaten over a few days, just do not add the dressing until you serve.

Add a protein if desired.  Simply grilled or broiled fish, chicken or tofu are nice accompaniments. Sprinkle the protein with sea salt and fresh pepper and add a good squeeze of lime while cooking.

Enjoy!

The “greens”

  • 4 cups finely shredded or slivered Savoy cabbage (if hard to find, use Napa cabbage or Romaine lettuce
  • 3 cups finely shredded red cabbage
  • 1 large julienned carrot 
  • 2 persian or 1 english cucumber, julienned
  • ½  yellow bell pepper, julienned
  • ½ red bell pepper, julienned
  • ½ small red onion, slivered
  • 1 hot pepper, thinly sliced (I used a Thai red chili red but jalapeno is fine. )(Remove all  or some of the seeds to cut heat)

The dressing

The toppings

  • 1/2 bunch cilantro leaves and stems), roughly chopped
  • ¼  cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
  • 2 Tbsp peanuts, toastee and chopped

How To

  • Prepare the “greens” and place in a bowl.
  • Measure the dressing ingredients into a shaker and shake.
  • Toss dressing over the Greens when ready to serve.
  • Lighting toss in the Toppings
  • Serve with quartered lime.

Tips

The greens, toppings and dressing can be made early in the day and simply tossed when ready to serve. 

Feel free to add or subtract vegetables. Just stay true to the salad by keeping it colorful and full of texture.

Package the greens and toppings in airtight containers (glass is best) if you want to make the salad last over a few days.  Add dressing when you dish out a second…or third day of this lovely treat.

Separately refrigerate the greens and toppings and let the dressing rest on the counter, giving it a good shake from time to time.

For a complete meal, add a protein (chicken, tofu, etc) to or with the salad.

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