Thai vegetable salad

Tags

Appetizers, bean sprouts, chinese cabbage, limes, lunch, napa cabbage, peanut butter, salad, starters, Thai, thai dressing, thai salad, vegetables, vegetarian

Crunchy, zingy, tasty and good for you too.  Now, how good is that?  Before lock-down, I had invited six friends over for a Thai style lunch.  I love Asian cooking but it is not something I often do.  A good friend of mine, Sally Sprinkle, had recently returned from a vacation in Thailand and had brought me back some spices and pastes and I was chomping at the bit to start experimenting with some new ideas. The main course was decided – that was the easy part- we would make a classic Shrimp Pad Thai and a Green Thai chicken curry with coconut rice.  But, what to serve as a starter?  I wanted something light and fresh and full of flavour and preferably vegetarian.  I tried out a few ideas and settled on a very simple vegetable salad which I tossed in a Thai dressing.  It hit the spot perfectly and was thoroughly enjoyed by all, so much so that there was not one peanut or bean sprout left on the serving platter.

If you wanted to serve this by itself you could simply add some cooked shrimp or chicken or even some chilled egg noodles.  If you do not want to add peanut butter to the dressing, simply leave it out and the tasty will still be as delicious, more citrusy but just as good.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

For the Salad

• 3 cups finely sliced Chinese or Savoy or Napa cabbage
• 1 cup sprouts
• 1 finely sliced green and/or red pepper
• 1 cup baby spinach leaves or arugula or both
• 1 finely sliced, seeded red chilli
• 1 small English cucumber, halved lengthwise, gutted and thinly sliced
• 1 cup shredded or finely sliced carrots (optional)
• 1 cup whole sugar snap peas or edamame beans (optional)
• 2 medium scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup loosely packed chopped fresh basil, mint and cilantro

• For the Thai Peanut Dressing

  • ¼ cup creamy peanut butter (use unsweetened)
    
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seed oil
  • 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
    
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
    
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
  • 1 fresh red chilli, seeded and finely sliced or ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • Handful of fresh cilantro and basil, chopped

Handful of toasted cashew nuts and/or peanuts

Method:

Place all the fresh vegetables and herbs in a large bowl and toss to combine
In a small glass bowl, mix all the dressing ingredients and whisk well, this can be done using a sticker or immersion blender
Dress the salad with the dressing just before serving
Sprinkle on some toasted cashew nuts and/or peanuts
Bon Appetit!

Peanut butter chocolate chip cookie

Tags

biscuits, chocolate chip, cookies, peanut butter

I must admit that I am a bit fussy about my cookies. I like them thick and chewy, not thin and crispy. It really is all a matter of personal preference but that is just how I like mine. So, how do you get a thick and chewy cookie? Well, here are a few tips that I discovered after my testing of several batches. Yes, I know, it is a tough job, but someone has to do it, right? Don’t flatten them AT ALL before baking. Even if they stay a dome shape – which they will, don’t worry.  You simply take a spatula and softly press down on the freshly baked cookie, right when they come out of the oven. The secret to the best thick and chewy cookies is always to under-bake them slightly. Oh, and these are large cookies, by the way. I used a medium sized ice cream scoop to make them. Of course, you can use a regular scoop and they will be even larger or a smaller one for smaller cookies; just remember to adjust your cooking time slightly.

Makes 16

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup / 120g butter, softened but not melted
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky)
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 2 cups chocolate chips (I used 1/2 dark and 1/2 white chocolate)

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C / 360F
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl
3. Mix the egg until combined
4. Add the peanut butter and vanilla extract
5. Whisk the dry ingredients together then add to the butter mixture, mixing together thoroughly
6. Add the chocolate chips by hand until evenly distributed throughout the dough
7. Using an ice cream scoop, fill the scoop until it’s full, flattening the bottom until it’s level with the straight edge of the scoop
8. Place onto parchment lined baking trays
9. Bake in the oven for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown all over
10. Using a flat spatula press each cookie down slightly
11. Leave the cookies on the trays to cool completely
12. Enjoy!

 

 

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Chinese Chicken Salad

Tags

chinese, chinese chicken salad, leftovers, peanut butter, salad, Turkey

 

 

This is an absolutely delicious recipe. It is perfect with left over rotisserie chicken, turkey, the day after Christmas or any time you have leftover chicken. Any portion of the chicken can be used, thighs, breasts or legs. If using turkey the white meat is best but it really is a matter of taste.
I used Skippy peanut butter. Seeing as soy sauce and peanut butter are both already salty, there is no need to add salt at all and in fact, I use the low sodium soy sauce as well. If you want to give the dressing a bit more kick, feel free to add a pinch of cayenne pepper. This salad keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 2 days as long as you have not added the lettuce. I would suggest to add the sesame seeds just before serving or they will lose all crunchiness. Do try it, you will love it!

To toast your sesame seeds, place them in a sauté pan with no oil or butter and cook over medium heat for about 4 to 5 minutes until golden. You need to watch carefully as they go from white to burnt in the blink of an eye.

Serves 10

Ingredients:

About 4 to 5 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless, cooked and cooled
1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded
1 green bell pepper, cored and seeded
1 échalote or onion, finely diced
3 spring onions (scallions), sliced
10 baby tomatoes
A few sliced radish
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Dressing –
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces
Cut the peppers into thin strips
Whisk all the dressing ingredients together until smooth
Place the chicken, peppers,onion, radish, tomatoes and spring onions in a large bowl
Pour the dressing over and combine
Sprinkle the sesame seeds
Serve over your favourite lettuce, cold or at room temperature
Enjoy!