Asian Crunch Salad

Picture to be posted soon

I was craving this over the weekend, did some research on the Internet and found the recipe. I think it's the real CPK recipe but not 100% sure. Believe it or not, this salad was rated one of the unhealthiest salads on restaurant menus. One whole salad is a record 2100 calories! I don't know how you could finish a whole salad anyways, because half of it is pretty filling. If you do not believe me, Click here for the link to the information. I figure if you make it at home, the salad might be a little healthier. The only difference from the CPK version is that I did not add chicken, avocado or fried wontons. At first, I thought this salad took a considerable amount of time to make, considering it IS a salad!! In hindsight, it's not that bad. Here's the recipe ..

Salad:

1/2 head Napa cabbage, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1/2 small head red cabbage, cored and chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and julienned
2 bunches scallions (green onions), thinly sliced (white and pale green parts only)
1 large English (hothouse) cucumber, peeled, cored and julienned
1 cup cooked shelled edamame (soybeans) 1 cup cilantro, chopped 1 cup fried rice sticks
1 ripe Hass avocado, peeled and diced (optional)
1 cup roasted peanuts (honey roasted preferably)
1 cup lime-cilantro dressing
1/2 cup Thai peanut dressing

Lime Cilantro Dressing

1/4 small red bell pepper, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I used 1/4 onion instead)
1 small bunch cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon
1 tablespoon vinegar
1.5 tablespoon lime juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Mix it all up by hand or in food processor. If using food processor, do not process the bell pepper and cilantro.

Thai Peanut Dressing

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon canola oil

Whisk together peanut butter, vinegar, honey, water and soy sauce. Stir in sugar, salt, cayenne and red pepper flakes. Add oil and continue whisking until smooth. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to five days. Bring to room temperature and whisk before using.

I know what you are thinking. That's alot of ingredients. It's alot of words, but repetitive in ingredients. It's pretty simple. Make the two dressings ahead of time. Chop the veggies. I used frozen edamame so I boiled them for 5 minutes and then peeled. Fried the rice sticks. Then mix it all together and enjoy!

Pretty filling, this salad. In fact, we made about 4 servings and at it as our main course. We were stuffed to the max! It was a pretty good salad so try it for yourself!