Its time for spring veggies! Cabbage, Arugula, Carrots and Radishes all roll into season this month in Georgia. I’m sharing the best of spring with fun hostess Christine on Atlanta & Company!. We’ll make the most of the spring season salad ingredients with a twist!
Napa Sesame Peanut Salad
Cabbage is good for us – a cruciferous veggie that is full of vitamin K and anthocyanin! You may think of cabbage as only green or red but there are many different ones available – Napa is one you can find in almost any grocery store. It’s soft and pliable with a less “cabbage-strong” taste. I’ll show Christine how to cut one.
Dressing and Marinade
1 TB Orange Zest
2 TB Orange Juice
1 TB Lime Zest
2 TB Lime Juice
2 TB Creamy Natural Peanut Butter (or almond butter)
1 TB Rice Vinegar
1” Chopped and Peeled Ginger
2 Garlic Cloves, Peeled
1/2 Tsp Dried Red Chili
1/3 Cup Sesame Oil
Sea Salt and Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine the ingredients from the zest to the oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
**To use as a marinade for chicken, place 2 large chicken breasts that have been halved lengthwise in a ziplock bag and pour ½ of the dressing in the bag. Massage to coat and marinate for at least 1 hour in the fridge – up to overnight.
To prepare, roast in a preheated 375F oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Slice on the diagonal and place on the salad.
The Salad
½ Head Napa Cabbage, Thinly Sliced
1 Cup Grated Carrot
½ Cup Sliced Radish
1 Cucumber, Seeded, Halved and Sliced into Thin Rounds
¼ Cup Chopped Cilantro
2 TB Chopped Mint
¼ Cup Chopped Roasted, Salted Peanuts
1 TB Sesame Seeds.
Place the greens through the mint in a bowl and toss. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, starting with ½ of the dressing. Garnish with the sesame seeds and peanuts.
Pasta Salad with a Rocket Twist!
Arugula is called rocket in many parts of Europe because of its spicy taste! We’ll use it in a pasta salad. Its easy to find in most grocery stores, arugula is a good source of vitamins that promote eye health.
We are using the spicy arugula and another spicy ingredient – Radishes to take the place of onions in this salad and give it lots of zip.
VINAIGRETTE:
3 TB Apple Cider vinegar
1/2 TB Dijon Mustard
½ Tsp Smoked Paprika
1/2 Tsp EACH Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
SALAD:
1 Containers (5 OZ) Arugula
1 Cup Pitted Kalamata olives, halved
1 Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese
2 Cups Grape Tomatoes, quartered
16 OZ FUN! Pasta Shape, cooked as package directs
Step One
For the vinaigrette, whisk together the vinegar and mustard in a small bowl; season with the salt and pepper to taste. Whisk in the olive oil slowly; set aside.
Step Two
Toss together the arugula, pasta, olives, tomatoes, radishes and goat cheese together in a large bowl; add half of the vinaigrette. Toss, adding more vinaigrette as desired.