This was my end-of-the-week salad, inspired by a lunch made for me once by CSA member Beth Capecchi. Her's was an Asian salad with chicken, cabbage and ramen noodles. It was delicious. I didn't have ramen noodles for this one, but I did have a lot of crispy vegetables. Nearly everything in this week's box can go in a salad, so you can pick and choose which ingredients to add or omit. If you are vegetarian, you can use extra Shiitake mushrooms or tofu for protein. This makes a large salad for 6-8 people, but if you have leftovers they will still be tasty the next day. Also, if sesame is not your favorite flavor, check out The Basics Of Vinaigrette recipe and create your own signature dressing!
Ingredients: 1 Head of Napa cabbage, sliced thinly Beet greens, sliced thinly 3 Green onions, sliced 2 Carrots, julienned 3-5 Radishes, sliced 6-8 Shiitake mushroom caps, sliced thinly 3 Beets (any color) cut into sticks and cooked to your taste. (I sauteed mine in oil with salt, then added a splash of white balsamic vinegar, some water, covered the pan and let them steam until they were tender.) 1 lb boneless chicken, cooked and shredded Thin style fried rice noodles for garnish (optional)
Sesame Dressing: 3/4 cup cold-pressed extra virgin sesame oil 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 1/4-1/3 cup rice vinegar Juice from one lemon 4-6 garlic cloves, minced A 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated. 1 Tbs local honey Sea salt to taste
Toss all ingredients in a large bowl, making sure the cooked chicken and beets have cooled first. Whisk together Sesame Dressing ingredients until they partially emulsify. Then pour the dressing over the salad and toss until it is coated.