Best Thai Salad Ever

This is the best salad ever! It is so tasty, healthy and delicious. It takes a while to get all the veggies ready but it is a very simple recipe.  Try changing out the chicken for shrimp, pork or beef!

What You Need
Makes 4 servings

Salad
2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts or 4 Chicken Tenderloins
1 tsp Chinese Five Spice
3 Small Lettuce Heads , Chopped
1/2 Head of Cabbage, Chopped
2 Carrots, Peeled and Shredded
2 Green Onions, Chopped
1 cup Bean Sprouts
1/2 Cucumber, Peeled and Chopped
1/2 Bunch of Cilantro, Chopped
1/2 cup Peanuts, Chopped
3 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Sesame Seeds
1 Serving Ramen Noodles, Dry

Salad Dressing
1/4 cup Rice Vinegar
1/4 cup Thai Sweet Red Chili Sauce
1/2 tsp Sugar

Peanut Sauce
1/4 cup Peanut Butter
1 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
1 tbsp Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
2 tbsp Water

What To Do

Step 1: Prepare all of your vegetables (wash, peel, chop, etc). Place in a large bowl.

Step 2: Season chicken with Chinese Five Spice. Cook on medium heat until fully cooked. Chop up chicken. Set aside.

Step 3: Heat up the olive oil in a pan on medium-low heat. Once hot add the ramen and sesame seeds. Stir continuously until golden brown (about 5-10 mins).

Before

After

Step 4: Make the salad dressing. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup add the rice vinegar, Thai sweet red chili sauce and sugar. Mix well with a fork.

Step 5: Make the peanut sauce. In a small bowl add the peanut butter, rice vinegar, Thai sweet chili sauce and water. Mix with a fork or whisk for about 5 minutes. It will start to look stringy (see below) but after a few minutes it should become smooth and creamy. If it appears too liquidy, even after several minutes of mixing, add a little more peanut butter. Stir until creamy and uniform.

Before

After

Step 6: Toss the salad, chicken and salad dressing together.

Step 7: Plate out each serving. Drizzle peanut sauce, chopped peanuts, ramen and sesame seeds over each serving. Enjoy!

Alternative Use Holiday Center Piece

This is a great alternative use for a cake stand. Pile some ball ornaments onto the cake stand and you have a great holiday center piece!

Quick and Tasty Homemade Green Salsa

I generally don't like salsa but I love this one!  It's a twist on a recipe a friend taught me. I make it mild but you can always add more jalapenos or a habanero to spice it up! 

What You Need

5 Tomatillos

3 Garlic Cloves

2 Serrano Peppers

2 Jalapeno Peppers

1/2 of a bunch of Cilantro

1 tbsp Lime Juice

Pinch of Salt

What To Do

Step 1: Cut the tomatillos and peppers in half. Remove the seeds and veins from the peppers. Place face down on a baking sheet with the garlic cloves. 

Step 2:  Place in oven on Broil for 5-10 minutes or until brown and softened (see picture below).

Step 3: Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until liquefied. Add extra salt and cilantro to taste. Enjoy!