Asian Chopped Salad with Sriracha Roasted Cashews

This is an older recipe from Foraged Dish and I wanted to give it an update. Same recipe!

Have you tried these cashews yet?

If your answer is yes, you’re probably now thinking, “I should make those again this week.” If your answer is no, what are you doing?! Hop to it!

We joked that I should sell those cashews rather than sharing the recipe … but here we are. And I’m going to give you one more reason to make them yourself: a fresh, crunchy salad that will make a great potluck dish or light lunch.

What’s in the bowl: I used to call this a “slaw,” but that word never quite hit the nail on the head. “Slaw” is short for coleslaw, which is usually a cabbage-based salad dressed with mayo. That’s nowhere near what this salad is. While still a cabbage-based salad, this bowl is also full of other veggies, like bell peppers, carrots, radishes, and bok choy (basically a big bowl of crunch!). Cashews sprinkled on top add to that crunchy, and the whole thing is dressed with an orange-sesame vinaigrette. (I’m crazy about toasted sesame oil, the flavor is out of this world and a little bit goes a long way).

Asian Chopped Salad with Sriracha Roasted Cashews

Published April 16, 2019 by
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Serves: 6   |    Active Time: 20 minutes



Ingredients:


For the salad:
  • 2 cups thinly sliced purple cabbage
  • 1 red pepper, sliced in thin strips strips
  • 1 carrot, julienned
  • 1/2 cup daikon radish, julienned
  • 1 heaping cup bok choy, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup Maple-Orange Sriracha Roasted Cashews
  • Optional: 2 tablespoons minced cilantro

  • For the vinaigrette:
  • Juice from 1 medium orange
  • 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

  • Directions:

    1. Pour ingredients for vinaigrette in a jar. Place lid on jar, and shake.
    2. Chop vegetables, and place in a large bowl. Drizzle with about 1/3 of the vinaigrette, and toss. Top with cashews.
    3. Serve, adding more vinaigrette to taste.

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    Smashed Cucumber Salad

    Smashed Cucumber Salad

    Smashed Cucumber Salad is a Chinese side dish, and I’ve adapted that dish into a recipe I can make any old day. The salad base is still just cucumber (a GREAT way to mix it up when you’re in a salad rut). But the dressing is the star: the perfect balance of salt, acid, and sweet. Rice vinegar, soy sauce, and honey come together and it just works. I haven’t yet watched Salt Fat Acid Heat (or read it), but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a dish that balances all of it’s flavors well. What do you think — should I jump in and watch the show?

    Smashed Cucumber Salad
    Smashed Cucumber Salad

    Smashed Cucumber Salad

    Published April 2, 2019 by
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    Serves: 6   |    Active Time: 50 minutes



    Ingredients:

  • 2-3 english cucumbers 
  • Sprinkle of salt
  • 3 tablespoons avocado oil or other neutral oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes 
  • 1 teaspoon honey (or white sugar)
  • 3 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon ginger juice or minced ginger
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce 
  • Garnish: 1 tablespoon minced cilantro, 2-3 small sprigs of mint (optional), lime wedges (optional)

  • Directions:

    1. Slice ends off of cucumber, and slice in half the long direction. Lay halved cucumbers seed-side down on a cutting board. Roll a rolling pin over cucumbers, smashing them just until the start to crack. Chop into bite-sized pieces.
    2. Place cucumber in a bowl and generously sprinkle with salt. Set aside.
    3. Place avocado oil, garlic and chili flakes in a small sauté pan and warm over medium heat until garlic begins to sizzle. Stir occasionally, and allow garlic to turn golden. Remove from heat.
    4. In a jar, combine honey, rice vinegar, ginger juice, sesame oil, soy sauce, and the chili-garlic oil. Stir (or close jar and shake) to combine.
    5. Toss cucumber in dressing. Top with minced cilantro, and optionally garnish with mint and lime wedges. Serve.

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    Roasted Eggplant with Charmoula Sauce

    Roasted Eggplant with Charmoula Sauce
    Roasted Eggplant with Charmoula Sauce

    Last week, I told you all that I bought The Food of Morocco, and have been on a Moroccan food kick. The kick continues today… with this Roasted Eggplant with Charmoula Sauce. This blog post is really about the sauce, which you could use over fish, grilled meat, or roasted veggies (and don’t stop there). Or, eggplant.

    It struck me, while I was adding all of the ingredients for this Charmoula to the blender, that it’s just like so many other herb-based sauces found around the world. It combines oil with an acid (lemon juice), garlic, salt, and pepper, and heaps of herbs. The process reminded me of making a South American Chimichurri, or the garlicky dipping oil used in Ecuador, or even pesto.

    It is not so much their similarity that surprises me, but the idea that diverse people, strung out across the world, all arrived at a similar solution to saucing food. I’m not a historian, though a quick look at the Wiki history of Chimichurri sauce suggests it was brought over by Spanish immigrants. Were all of these sauces another way of making the flavors immigrants were familiar with in a new environment, with new ingredients? Perhaps. (I, by the way, adored this essay on how immigrants assimilate through food).

    Roasted Eggplant with Charmoula Sauce
    Roasted Eggplant with Charmoula Sauce

    Roasted Eggplant with Charmoula Sauce

    Published March 12, 2019 by
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    Serves: 4   |    Active Time: 45 minutes



    Ingredients:


    For the charmoula:
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Juice from 1 lemon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground paprika
  • Dash cayenne
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/3 cup packed cilantro leaves
  • 1/3 cup packed parsley leaves

  • For the eggplant:
  • 2 eggplants
  • 1/2-1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • For serving: 1/4 cup tahini

  • Directions:

    1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
    2. Slice stem from eggplant and then cut into 1/2-inch thick rounds. Spread out on a baking sheet (or two) in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt, and allow eggplant to sit for 5-10 minutes. The salt with help reduce bitterness.
    3. Brush eggplant with olive oil. Flip eggplant and brush the second side. Place in oven and bake 30-35 minutes, until eggplant is soft all the way through, and is golden/brown on the edges.
    4. While eggplant cooks, combine all ingredients for charmoula in a food processor or blender, and pulse until a sauce forms. I like my sauce to still have some texture to it, so I stop before everything is puréed, but this is just my preference.
    5. Serve: place roasted eggplant on a plate, and drizzle with several spoonfuls of charmoula and several spoonfuls of tahini. Eat warm.
    6. Note: you will likely have leftover charmoula, which can be used as a sauce for fish, or grilled meats and vegetables.

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