Tinell's Giant (Thai) Salad
- hannahlima1
- May 20, 2016
- 3 min read
I don't remember the exact first time I met my friend Tinell. Chances are, if we'd never met, she'd still know me - she knows everyone. Or knows someone who does. That's the benefit of living in same little pocket of town where you were born and raised.
What I do remember is the first time I tried this salad. About 5 seconds after I walked in Tinell's front door, she stuck a spoon in my mouth and said
"you've got to try this dressing. It's amazing."
And she was right.
I guess the dressing is supposed to go on top of a salad, but really, it takes a lot of energy to chop all those vegetables when what you really want is this dressing...
on your finger
on a spoon
hiding in the corner of a room. (Ha!)
You have to know a little more about Tinell to know why this salad is called what it is. Tinell is one of those blessed people who's house is always full - babies, toddlers, teens and in between.
Plus their parents, a few neighbors, some friends from church... maybe even the mailman. (She's the only friend I know who gets texts from her mailman).
You hope that you're one of the lucky ones that gets the invitation to stick around for dinner. She starts "... I went to the produce stand and got..." (always apples, often cilantro, and then the armful of veggies for whatever she's making.)
It wasn't the day she stuffed the spoonful of dressing in my mouth that I got to try this salad, but a fortunate day soon after.
A small crowd was coming for dinner. And small crowds necessitate giant salads. This salad really shouldn't be made any other way than giant -because what you and your crowd don't eat that night, you'll welcome in your lunch the next day.
The vegetables are sturdy enough to hold up for several days, even with the dressing! You won't regret standing in the kitchen doing a little extra chopping to make your salad giant. Or put your food processor to work - the slicing blade makes short work of the daunting pile of veggies.
Round up your friends, neighbors, friends' neighbors, (then send them all outside so you can sneak tastes of the dressing) and get to chopping.
We hope you love our interpretation of Tinell's Giant (Thai) Salad - and don't forget the edamame!
Tinell's Giant (Thai) Salad
Ingredients:
cabbage, shredded
bell pepper, sliced thin
green onions, sliced thin
carrots, shredded
edamame (we used trader joe's, from the freezer section)
cilantro, leaves and stems roughly chopped
chopped peanuts or cashews (a small palmful)
Instructions:
1. Since this is a "giant" salad we left the proportions of salad ingredients blank. Add as many or as few of the above items as you want. Make it YOUR giant (Thai) salad.
***a small head of cabbage, and one of each of the other vegetables is a good starting point.
***making it your own means "use all those remnants of veggies in your cripser drawer." Radish, shredded kale, mushrooms, bean sprouts... delish.
Thai Peanut Dressing
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup cilantro, loosely packed
pinch of red pepper flakes
Instructions:
1. Place all ingredients into your blender or food processor and process until smooth.
*Thank you to Wild Hare Organic Farm for many of the local & seasonal produce
we are able to use in our recipes.
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