Description
Spicy crunch salad delivers a symphony of textures and flavors that dance on your palate. Fresh ingredients and zesty dressing combine to create a light, energizing meal that satisfies hunger and delights senses.
Ingredients
Scale
Vegetables and Greens:
- 2 cups (473 milliliters/16 fluid ounces) chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 cup (237 milliliters/8 fluid ounces) shredded carrots
- 1 cup (237 milliliters/8 fluid ounces) red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 cup (237 milliliters/8 fluid ounces) cucumber, sliced
- ½ cup (118 milliliters/4 fluid ounces) radishes, thinly sliced
- ½ cup (118 milliliters/4 fluid ounces) snap peas, chopped
- ½ cup (118 milliliters/4 fluid ounces) purple cabbage, shredded
- ¼ cup (59 milliliters/2 fluid ounces) green onions, chopped
Crunchy Toppings and Nuts:
- ¼ cup (59 milliliters/2 fluid ounces) almonds, cashews, or sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup (59 milliliters/2 fluid ounces) crispy wonton strips or croutons
Dressing Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons (45 milliliters/1.5 fluid ounces) olive oil
- 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters/1 fluid ounce) rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters/0.5 fluid ounces) soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon (15 mill
Instructions
- Craft a vibrant dressing by whisking olive oil, vinegar, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, grated ginger, and freshly ground black pepper in a small mixing bowl until emulsified and smooth.
- Prepare a colorful vegetable base by chopping romaine lettuce into crisp ribbons and slicing carrots, bell peppers, cucumber, radishes, snap peas, cabbage, and green onions into thin, uniform pieces.
- Create textural complexity by adding a robust mixture of chopped nuts, assorted seeds, and crispy wonton strips or homemade croutons to the vegetable medley.
- Gently drizzle the prepared dressing over the salad, using tongs to carefully toss and coat each ingredient, ensuring an even distribution of flavors and preventing delicate vegetables from bruising.
- Transfer the salad to serving plates immediately, maintaining the crispness of the vegetables and the crunch of the added toppings, and enjoy the dynamic interplay of textures and tastes.
Notes
- Customize the dressing by adjusting sweetness or tanginess with more honey or vinegar to suit personal taste preferences.
- Swap out nuts and seeds for different textures, like almonds, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds for added nutritional variety.
- Prepare vegetables in advance and store separately to maintain crispness, combining ingredients just before serving to prevent soggy salad.
- Make the salad gluten-free by using tamari instead of soy sauce and replacing wonton strips with gluten-free croutons or rice crackers.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg