favorite asian inspired salad

 

Ever since I discovered the Thai-style peanut dressing and then modified it to this, I've been pouring it over a salad of sturdy veggies from the brassica family.

At it's most basic (and when I'm in a hurry and running low on ingredients), I tear up kale, dice rutabaga, toss it all in a bowl and garnish it with the thai dressing and sunflower seeds. If I have cabbage, cauliflower and leftover pasta (I use Trader Joe's brown rice fusili pasta) and sweet potato fries in they go too. Carrots occasionally will also make an appearance.

Since this salad has been a hit with many people and it's one I rarely go a week without preparing, I had to share. Feel free to adjust to your won favorite combo of veggies, though I'm not sure lettuce and it's cousins would work too well, though romaine might hold up okay.

In the recipe picture, the combination features kale, cabbage, carrots, a bit of onion, brown rice fusili and sunflower seeds along with the dressing. The recipe reflects how I would prepare it for guests and I've added other suggestions for mix-ins or mixing it up.

Asian Inspired Salad (recipe notes follow)
candida diet friendly*, dairy free gluten free, oil free, paleo friendly*, peanut free, refined sugar soy free, sugar free, vegan

kale, destemmed, roughly chopped
red or green cabbage, roughly sliced or shredded
carrots,*peeled into strips or shredded
green onions, finely sliced
sunflower seeds

Additional mix-in/combination options:
cauliflower, roughly chopped
sweet potato fries*, diced
rutabaga, diced
raw brussel sprouts, finely sliced or shredded
brown rice pasta*
red pepper, finely sliced

Prepare all veggies and mix together in a large bowl. Prepare the dressing (recipe here). If making for guests, prepare the basic recipe and provide additional mix-ins for each guest to customize their own salad.

recipe notes: omit these options for the strict portion of the candida diet and/or for a paleo-friendly salad

recipe review: warm nacho dip

I'm always on the lookout for new recipes to try and add to my repertoire of favorites and old standbys so I thought it would be fun to record recipes I try and note any changes I made.

First up is the "Life Affirming Warm Nacho Dip" from the Oh She Glows cookbook (found on page 83). I made this one over the weekend for a family gathering and it was a hit. Even with (most of) the kids...and we had all nine of the cousins there to sample it!

Here's the ingredient list for the original recipe:
cheese sauce:
1 cup raw cashews, soaked 2 hours to overnight
1 cup peeled, chopped, cooked carrots
2 T nutritional yeast
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 large garlic clove
1 1/4 tsp. fine-grain sea salt
3/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
2/3 cup water

dip:
1 cup chunky marinara sauce
1 cup finely chopped sweet onion
2 to 3 handfuls roughly chopped baby spinach
1/2 cups crushed corn chips or bread crumbs
1-2 finely sliced green onions for garnish (optional)

Before I made the recipe, I knew I'd want to sub in salsa for the marinara sauce and I adjusted the seasonings as I went along so I could reduce the salt content. If you're looking to cut back on salt, one of the tricks I learned is to amp up the quantities of your spices, sometimes by as much as doubling or tripling. I did include the cayenne, but only put in a dash. The corn chips/bread crumb topping also could be left off for dietary reasons, but it does put a nice finish on it.

Here's the recipe as I made it:

Warm Nacho Dip (recipe notes follow)

vegan, dairy free, gluten free, oil free, paleo friendly, sugar free

cheese sauce:
1 cup raw cashews, soaked 2 hours to overnight
1 cup peeled, chopped, cooked carrots
2 T nutritional yeast
2 T fresh lemon juice
2 large garlic cloves
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. onion powder
dash cayenne pepper (optional)
2/3 cup of water

dip:
1 cup salsa
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 to 3 handfuls roughly chopped spinach
1/2 cups crushed corn chips (optional)
1-2 finely sliced green onions for garnish

1. To soak the cashews, place in a bowl and cover with water. Then drain and rinse.
2. To ensure some of the vitamins from the carrots wouldn't do down the drain (literally!), I boiled them until they were fork tender and all the water had boiled off. If you try this, watch carefully or the carrots will burn. You also could steam them.
3. Place the soaked cashews, cooked carrots and remaining sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add more water if necessary.
4. In an oven safe dish combine the sauce with the salsa, onion and spinach and garnish with the corn chips if using.
5. Bake in a 350 oven, uncovered for 30-35 minutes, making sure your corn chips don't burn.
6. Garnish with green onions if using and serve immediately.

recipe notes:

• salt: when I originally made this, I used 1 tsp of regular table salt but still found this a bit salty, so I would try it next time with 3/4 tsp. salt as I reflected in the ingredients
• I used Pace Mild salsa which is sugar free
• I chopped the spinach a little more finely than "rough" to make it more kid-pleasing
• I think the green onions are essential as an added flavor layer but you could still leave it out
• although this recipe is meant to be warmed, I also enjoyed it cold

621 thai dressing

In this past year, I've developed a taste for Thai food and in my quest for new recipes to try out, I stumbled upon a peanut-based Thai dressing here. Not only did it go well with stir fry, but I discovered it was an excellent dip for spring rolls and a yummy dressing for salads.

Then, earlier this year, I felt led to do a sugar fast to rid my body of what I suspected was a yeast overgrowth. Most candida diets also nix peanuts because of the mold it comes with as well as soy sauce. Challenging as that diet was, God encouraged me in that time to experiment with recipes - things I might not have tried otherwise.

Thankfully, almonds and the red curry paste still made the cut and coconut aminos works well as a soy sauce substitute.

So here's my new favorite dressing which I like even better because it is sugar free and is super simple to make. I call it the "621 Thai salad dressing" because the simple tablespoon and teaspoon measurements.

621 thai dressing (recipe notes follow)
sugar free, peanut free, soy free

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 teaspoon red curry paste
6 tablespoon coconut aminos
6-8 tablespoon almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
6 tablespoons almond butter

Add all ingredients to a jar and stir or shake until thoroughly mixed. Add more almond milk if needed or for desired consistency.

recipe notes: I opted to create this recipe using garlic and ginger powered because it's quick and easy. Most days I would not have the patience to mince the garlic or ginger for the dressing. I recommend using organic powdered ginger or a brand that does not add sulfur.

I'm not sure how another type of non-dairy milk will affect the taste or consistency. If you use something else, try the recipe with 6 T first, and work your way up to perfect pourability.

I usually use roasted almond butter, either chunky or smooth. Raw almond butter would work too, but it might affect the taste/consistency.