Almond Crunch Salad with Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette
I’ll never forget the first time I made this salad. It started when I was prepping kebabs for the grill. I knew we needed something to serve on the side, something fresh yet something different. Low and behold, in the fridge I had some red leaf lettuce, a carrot and some cilantro. Next thing I know, I'm reaching for the soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, sesame seeds and just a pinch of red chili flakes.
Finally a finishing touch of some roughly chopped almonds and this salad was complete. It was so serendipitous, because this crunchy, flavor packed salad I put in my mouth instantly became a new favorite. It was so good, I could've done without the kebabs I was cooking in the first place! Did you hear what I just said, you guys? It was so good I didn't even need to eat meat. This is pretty serious.
If you're feeling like you're in a salad rut, this salad is sure to spice things up in a big way. The flavors of punchy ginger, soy, red chili flake and sesame oil paired with crunchy almonds and fresh veggies quite literally pop in your mouth. Serve it as a first course at your next meal and it's guaranteed to steal the show.
Almond Crunch Salad with Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette
Ingredients
1 head of red leaf lettuce or romaine, chopped - or really any green lettuce you like!
1 carrot, peeled and shaved - I just use your standard ol' vegetable peeler to do this
1/4 cup or a large handful of almonds, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (balsamic vinegar actually works really well with this too)
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger or ginger paste
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
Directions
In a large bowl layer lettuce, shredded carrots, cilantro and almonds. In a mason jar combine vinaigrette ingredients and shake, shake, shake! Pour over salad and toss to combine. Enjoy!
