Cashew Crunch Salad With Sesame Dressing

What’s it called when you want something that tastes really, really good… but is also basically a high pile of fresh, vibrant, feel-good-in-your-body vegetables? You call it Cashew Crunch Salad, that’s what you call it.

This Cashew Crunch Salad with Sesame Dressing – this is the healthy summer recipe that makes me actualy want to eat salad !

Cashew Crunch Salad With Sesame Dressing Recipe



INGREDIENTS
For the Salad:

• 1/2 head of green cabbage, finely shredded
• 1/2 head of purple cabbage, finely shredded
• 2 cups carrots, matchstick-cut or shredded
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup sliced green onion
• 2 cups cooked edamame (see notes)
• 1-2 cup roasted cashews (see notes)
• 2 cups crunchy chow mein noodles
• chicken, shrimp, or any other protein you like

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup olive oil (you can use any other oil as well)
• 3 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil – very important for flavor!
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• a few shakes of garlic powder
• optional: 1/4 cup Greek yogurt or mayo (more or less to taste)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Shake the dressing ingredients up in a jar until smooth. Add the Greek yogurt or mayo (optional – just makes it more creamy) and shake again until smooth. YUM.
2. Toss all the salad ingredients together. Drizzle with dressing and serve!

NOTES

• I like this salad just fine without chicken or shrimp… but if you do want to grill some chicken or shrimp to go with it (yummy), I recommend marinating it in soy sauce, honey, and garlic for a bit to give even more flavor.
• If you are making this ahead, you can definitely chop and prep all the veggies in advance and even mix them together. I would just hold off on mixing in the chow mein, cashews, and dressing until just before serving.
• I buy edamame frozen, already shelled, and just boil them for a few minutes like you would boil peas.
• I like this salad with regular roasted cashews – I also lovee it with those super spicy, flavor-loaded Thai cashews from Trader Joe’s!
• You can easily omit the Greek yogurt or mayo to keep this a vegan / dairy free salad! The dressing will be a little less thick (more like a vinaigrette), but it’s still totally delicious. For a creamy dairy-free alternative, you could try miso!
• To make this gluten free, leave out the chow mein noodles.

Recipe Adapted : Cashew Crunch Salad With Sesame Dressing @ pinchofyum

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