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VIETNAMESE SPRING ROLL SALAD

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This Vietnamese Spring Roll Salad is everything you love about spring rolls…chopped up into a fresh and zesty pasta salad.  Feel free to make yours with shrimp, chicken, pork or tofu…or keep it simple with just veggies!

INGREDIENTS:

SALAD

• 8 ounces thin rice noodles
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 8 ounces cooked shrimp, diced*
• 1 English cucumber, julienned or diced
• 1 cup shredded carrots**

• 2/3 cup loosely-packed chopped fresh bean sprouts
• 2/3 cup loosely-packed chopped fresh cilantro
• 2/3 cup loosely-packed chopped fresh mint
• 1/3 cup chopped peanuts
• half of a small green cabbage, cored and chopped**
• 1 batch Nuoc Cham Sauce (see below) or Thai Peanut Dressing 2/3 cup

NUOC CHAM SAUCE

• ¼ cup lime juice
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
• 1 fresh Thai chili, thinly sliced (or ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. To Make The Rice Noodles: Cook rice noodles according to package instructions.  Once they are cooked, rinse them with cold water under a strainer until completely chilled.  Then transfer to a large mixing bowl, drizzle with sesame oil, and toss until the noodles are evenly coated with the oil.
2. To Make The Sauce: Whisk all ingredients together until evenly combined.
3. To Bring Everything Together: Add the remaining ingredients (shrimp, cucumber, carrots, bean sprouts, cilantro, mint, peanuts, cabbage, and sauce) to the noodles, and toss until evenly combined.  Taste, and season with salt and pepper as needed.
4. Serve immediately (with extra lime wedges for squeezing!), or refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Notes

• *Feel free to substitute cooked chicken, pork, or tofu, if you prefer.  Or you can just nix adding an extra protein entirely.
• **To save a step, you can sub in 3 cups coleslaw mix for the cabbage and carrots.  Or if you’re not a big fan of cabbage, you can also sub in butter lettuce (or any mild green) in place of the cabbage.

Mango, Kale, and Quinoa Chopped Salad

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Ingredients:

• 2 bunches kale, roughly torn
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 ½ cups cooked quinoa
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 ears corn, husked and kernels chopped off
• 2 mangos, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, seeded + chopped
• 1 cup cooked black beans

• 1 avocado, sliced
• cotija cheese, crumbled

Sunflower Honey Lime Vinaigrette

• 1/3 cup shelled sunflower seeds, lightly toasted
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• kosher salt and pepper

Instructions:

•  Add the kale to a large bowl salad bowl with a tablespoon or two of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Massage the kale with your hands for 2-3 minutes or until the kale begins to break down and soften a bit.
• To the bowl add the quinoa, bell peppers, corn, mango, jalapeño, and black beans. Drizzle on a little of the vinaigrette and toss. Add the avocado and cheese. Top with toasted tortillas or chips. EAT!

Sunflower Honey Lime Vinaigrette

• Add the sunflower seeds, olive oil, honey, and lime juice to a high powered blender or food processor. Process until completely smooth. If needed, add water to thin the vinaigrette. Stir in the chopped cilantro, salt and pepper. The vinaigrette can be made a few days in advance and kept in the fridge.

SUMMER MELON & PROSCIUTTO SALAD

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Ingredients:

• ½ ripe cantaloupe melon seeded
• ½ ripe honeydew melon seeded
• 1 8 oz. container of Mozzarella balls ( or fresh mozzarella/buffalo mozzarella, torn into bite size pieces)
• 2 Tbsp thinly sliced fresh mint
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ Tbsp honey
• 6 slices of prosciutto torn into bite size pieces

Instructions:

• Use a melon baller to scoop melon balls from the cantaloupe and honeydew, placing melon balls in a large mixing bowl. Add Mozzarella balls and sliced mint. Sprinkle with course ground salt and pepper to taste.
• In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil and honey. Drizzle over the melon and toss gently to coat.
• Plate salad and add torn prosciutto. Garnish with additional mint leaves.

SPICY THAI SPAGHETTI SALAD

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Ingredients:

• 8 ounces of regular spaghetti, broken in half, cooked in plenty of salted water to al dente and rinsed well with cold water
• 1 cup shredded red cabbage
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 bunch (about 6-8) green onions, thinly sliced
• ½ cup roasted peanuts
• 2 Tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 handful cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 handful basil leaves, thinly sliced

Dressing

• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 heaping Tbsp smooth peanut butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• salt to taste

Instructions:

• To make the dressing put all the ingredients in a small bowl and use an immersion blender to process into an emulsified dressing. Thin with more oil or vinegar to taste, if necessary.
• Put the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

CRUNCHY THAI CHICKEN SALAD

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INGREDIENTS:

For the Salad

• 4 cups shredded napa cabbage
• 3 cups cooked shredded chicken, I used rotisserie
• 2 cups grated or matchstick carrots
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• ½ cup green onions, chopped
• ½ cup wonton crisps (or you could use chopped peanuts)

For the Ginger-Sesame Dressing

• 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 3 Tbsp olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. To make the dressing, combine all ingredients in a small jar with a sealed lid and shake well until combined. I also use this jar to store any extra dressing to use for the week.
2. To make the salad, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine.
3. Drizzle salad with ginger-sesame dressing and mix until fully coated. Garnish with wonton crisps (or chopped peanuts), serve and enjoy!

Shakshuka with Feta & Avocado Salad

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Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 large red pepper, cored + thinly sliced
• kosher salt
• 1 red fresno chile, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp harissa powder
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp ground coriander
• 1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes

• 8 eggs
• 2 avocados, pitted + sliced ¼”
• ½ cup pitted + halved green olives
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• ½ tsp lemon zest
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more as needed
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• freshly cracked black pepper
• fresh bread toasted in olive oil, for serving

Instructions:

• Heat a 12” skillet over medium heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Add the onion and red pepper. Season with a pinch of salt. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until caramelized and tender.
• Add the red fresno chile and garlic. Cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the paprika, harissa, cumin, and coriander. Cook the spices for a minute or so.
• Pour in the tomatoes. Use a wooden spoon to break the tomatoes into bite-size pieces. Bring the sauce to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
• Make 8 “wells” in the sauce and crack the eggs into each one. Turn the heat up to medium-low. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook for 12-15 minutes, or until the egg whites are set and the egg yolks are still slightly runny (or to your liking).
• Meanwhile, combine the avocado, olives, feta, scallions, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, and parsley in a mixing bowl. Stir well. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
• Serve the shakshuka with the avocado salad and toasted bread alongside.