Refreshing and Light Sesame Cucumber Carrot Salad

It’s this time of year that everyone around us seems to be sharing lists of resolutions and aspirations of what their vision of 2014 could be. For us? We’ll just say that instead of listing-out resolutions, we started off New Years Day with a big batch of yummy fried chicken and some extra sips of proseco. That’s how we roll, as of late, by enjoying things that make us happy, even if it includes delicious moments of crispy chicken skin and a drink. Or Two.

But that’s not to say that we’ve totally jumped off the wrong end of 2014. Though we’ll have our moments of splurge, there’s still that joy of cooking fresh vegetables while their at their peak. Regardless of how decadent our meals are, there’s always a fresh green salad, some raw snacking veggies or a platter of fresh herbs to accompany our meal. It’s these bites of fresh greens that really highlight our meals.

Yes, the fried chicken was great, but so was this refreshing cucumber salad. This is one of our go-to salads. It’s one of those salads that we threw together one day and has now become a favorite. Doesn’t that often happen to you too? when you’re just whipping something together real-quick in the kitchen and suddenly it’s quickly becomes one of your favorites. Well, this 15 minute cucumber salad is just-it and it’s the perfect accompaniment to any entree or even on it’s own as a light snack.

So aside form the fried chicken, we really did start off the new year on a fresh”er” and healthy-”er” dish. And best of all? this salad is light, crisp, refreshing and satisfying that you don’t even have to think about calorie-counting.

And how was your New Year? Hope it was grand and safe. Hope you’re all rested, refreshed and ready for the big ’14. Enjoy this year as much as you can, because before you know it, it’ll be 2015!

Happy New Year everyone!

Yield: Serves about 4

Total Time: 30 min

Our favorite cucumbers are the crisp, seedless kind like persian or japanese cucumbers. These cucumbers have such a tender outside skin and crispy texture that they just make the perfect snacking cucumber. And when it comes to salads, these cucumbers can't be beat.

1 pound (455g) cucumbers, sliced thin1 large carrot, julienned1 tablespoon grape seed oil (or other clean tasting oil)2 tablespoons rice vinegar1 teaspoon sesame seed oil2 teaspoons sugar2 teaspoons soy sauce1 tablespoon toasted sesame seedsCombine the cucumbers and carrots in a bowl. Set aside.In another bowl, whisk together the grape seed oil, rice vinegar, sesame seed oil, sugar, and soy sauce.  Taste for seasoning and adjust to individual preference.Toss the cucumbers and carrots with the dressing. Fold in the sesame seeds. Chill for 20 minutes or up to overnight and then serve.

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Five Refreshing Vietnamese Salads

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May 31, 2013Five Refreshing Vietnamese Salads

We are having a wonderful warm spell in Northern California. It's flip-flops and t-shirt sans jacket weather. Peopleare firing up their grills in the neighborhood. Whenever we’re out for a walkto the grocery store, we sniff the cooking food smells and try to identify whatpeople are making. Steak? Salmon? Burgers? Or some long-smoked meats? The livefire cooking stirs my senses and I conjure up imaginary menus. What would Iserve with what they’re cooking?

I always plan meals to include the various food groups, butwith a healthy emphasis on vegetables. And with all the grilling going on rightnow, my thoughts lean toward Vietnamese salads. They’re flexible dishes thatmay be a served on their own or be a friendly side offering to go with a hunkof grilled something. There are many salad and side recipes in books I’vewritten, but to add to your collection, I reached back into the VWK archives toselect some refreshing ones:

GrilledBeef and Jicama Salad – Cook the beef and top a salad with it for a splendidlunch. Jicama is cooling and light, plus it’s easy to prep. In the summer time,you may find little babyjicama at farmer’s markets to make the salad with or to peel and eat likean apple. 

GreenPapaya Salad and Beef Jerky (Goi Du Du Kho Bo) – My local Trader Joe’ssells green papaya. I don’t know how unripe they are inside but every time Isee them, I think of Vietnamese green papaya salad. This recipe is a renditionof a northern Vietnamese classic. In Hanoi, it’s sold as a street food. Yes,there’s a link to making your own beef jerky. If you don’t know what greenpapaya is or how to prepare it for cooking, check this primer.

VeganGreen Papaya Salad (Goi Du Du Chay) – For non-meat eaters, here’s a veganversion of Vietnamese green papaya salad. For protein, I included pressed tofu.

SpicyCabbage Salad (Goi Bap Cai) – Cabbage is used in Viet kitchens in manydishes, including stir-fries, noodle soups, stuffed cabbage rolls, and salads.People adore its crunch and appreciate its heartiness, especially becauserefrigerator space is limited. Cabbage keeps well. The classic version ofcabbage salad is made with chicken (see Intothe Vietnamese Kitchen for a recipe) but I also enjoy a flavor-forwardvegetarian version.

Fennel,Red Cabbage and Cashew Salad – When I made this salad for Sunset magazinelast year, the colors were meant to evoke autumn (hence its name, “VietnameseThanksgiving Salad”) but in my Viet gut, I knew that it was a year round salad.Fennel is great this time of the year so grab some for this cheery salad.

Some of the salads require advance prep (hello, beef jerky)while others come together in a flash. Try them out and add a Viet salad toyour summer repertoire!

What's your favorite summery Asian salad? 

Posted in Recipes: All, Recipes: Appetizer and Snack, Recipes: Fast and Easy, Recipes: Gluten-Free , Recipes: Gluten-Free Adaptable, Recipes: Salad, Recipes: Tofu, Recipes: Vegan, Recipes: Vegetable Sides and Pickles, Recipes: Vegetarian | Permalink

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Comments Five Refreshing Vietnamese Salads

We are having a wonderful warm spell in Northern California. It's flip-flops and t-shirt sans jacket weather. Peopleare firing up their grills in the neighborhood. Whenever we’re out for a walkto the grocery store, we sniff the cooking food smells and try to identify whatpeople are making. Steak? Salmon? Burgers? Or some long-smoked meats? The livefire cooking stirs my senses and I conjure up imaginary menus. What would Iserve with what they’re cooking?

I always plan meals to include the various food groups, butwith a healthy emphasis on vegetables. And with all the grilling going on rightnow, my thoughts lean toward Vietnamese salads. They’re flexible dishes thatmay be a served on their own or be a friendly side offering to go with a hunkof grilled something. There are many salad and side recipes in books I’vewritten, but to add to your collection, I reached back into the VWK archives toselect some refreshing ones:

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Refreshing Pomegrante Spritzer for Fall

It feels so wonderful to be back in the kitchen after being on the road, teaching workshops and shooting on location lately. When we were in the kitchen the other night preparing dinner, we both looked at one another with the same hungry, yet satisfied eyes. It feel so good to be back here in our home kitchen feeding our family and friends. Unfortunately we didn’t take the time to photograph any of it to share with you on the blog!

The garden always look different in the time that we’re away. When we return, one of the first things we do is to explore the backyard for new goodies that dropped, blossomed or got eaten by the squirrels. This week, we were greeted with red pomegranates.

When we saw them last, they were still slightly young and green. This week, they looked like red Christmas ornaments dangling in Autumn sunshine.

Red orbs of pomegranates is definitely a sign that Fall has arrived and we’re ready for it. Along with pomegranates, we welcomed some sweet Asian pears and a few ripened passion fruits clinging to the crazy tangling vines. The tomatoes said their farewells and the basil are exploding with their last flowers. Summer is officially over.

A favorite dish we make with the pomegranates is normally in salads. We’re always searching for new ideas to use this amazing fruit. Breaking into them is like opening up a vault of diamonds, red jewels of sweet tart juices. But this week, we’re juicing them up for some refreshing change. The possibilities are endless with pomegranate juice, especially when we’re mixing cocktails with them. Soon, we’ll be sharing some amazing inebriating cocktails made with pomegranate juice.

Until them, hope you enjoy an alcohol free pomegranate spritzer. It’s so simple, refreshing and perfect hello to the upcoming holidays.

What favorite pomegranate recipes do you have? Would love to read your amazing creations.

hugs,

diane and todd

 Print This RecipePomegranate Spritzer Recipe

Ingredients

about 1 – 2 Tablespoons of fresh or concentrate pomegranate juice *for fresh, see note 1 for extracting6 oz sparkling water or club soda

1. Add pomegranate juice, sugar and water. (Add pomegranate seeds if you are so inclined)  Pour into glasses filled with ice.

2. Add additional sugar, or pomegranate juice to personal taste, sweetness and tartness.

*Note 1: Extracting Pomegranate Juice. Here is a great tutorial on how to open a pomegranate from Steamy Kitchen. Once you have separated seeds, place them in a medium bowl and muddle together until all the juice is extracted. Keep the seeds in if you want for crunchy textures.

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