Thai-Style Peanut-Cabbage Salad

This is a fantastic summer salad. I love that it has a slight Thai-flavored "kick", and I'm always a fan of peanuts and fresh basil. The recipe comes from Relish Magazine, and you can print it here.

Thai-Style Peanut-Cabbage Salad

Dressing:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 T water
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 T soy sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
2 T peanut oil
1 tsp. finely grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. salt

Salad:
1/4 lb. blanched green beans
4 cups baby spinach
2 cups slivered green cabbage
3 green onions, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, slivered (I diced mine.)
2/3 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts
1/4 cup chopped basil or mint (optional)
1 1-ounce package roasted vegetable chips or sweet potato chips, lightly crushed

To make the dressing, combine brown sugar, water, garlic, and pepper flakes in a jar with a lid. Add remaining dressing ingredients. Shake well.

To make the salad, toss together all salad ingredients except peanuts, basil or mint and vegetable chips. Immediately before serving, drizzle about 2/3 of the dressing over the salad. Toss well. Sprinkle with roasted peanuts, herbs and vegetable chips. Pass remaining dressing at the table. Serves 4-6.

Potatoes and Green Beans Vinaigrette

For some reason my older girls remember me making this salad a lot when we lived in Berkeley. It is from New Southern Cooking by Nathalie Dupree, and it is definitely a family favorite. 

It can be served either hot or cold, but Nathalie says, "be sure your vegetables are hot when tossed in the vinaigrette. Hot vegetables absorb flavor quickly, so when they have cooled the flavor is even more enhanced."

Potatoes and Green Beans Vinaigrette

1 pound green beans
2 pounds new potatoes

Vinaigrette dressing:
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup white or red wine vinegar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 small clove garlic, crushed
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. sugar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs such as basil or tarragon (optional)

Remove tips and strings from the beans, but leave the beans whole. Boil in salted water to cover until still crunchy, 7-10 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain, and immediately rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and set the color.

Meanwhile, boil whole, unpeeled new potatoes in salted water to cover until done 20-30 minutes. Drain. Make the vinaigrette (see below). While still hot, peel quickly and toss them in half the vinaigrette, adding the herbs if you wish.

If serving warm, stir the green beans with 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette in a saucepan and warm them gently before adding to the potatoes. If serving cold, simply toss the cooked beans with 2 tablespoons of the dressing and gently mix with the potatoes. Drizzle the remaining dressing over all, and serve either lukewarm or cold.

To make the vinaigrette, whisk the oil into the vinegar, mustard, and garlic; add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste.

Serves 6-8.

Julie's Notes: I usually cut the new potatoes in half, depending on their size.

Green Bean, Walnut, & Feta Salad

This delicious green bean salad is packed with flavor. I always substitute pecans for the walnuts because I like to think that I am a southern girl at heart. I don't have the original source for this recipe, but I did preserve the fact that it is in 1996 Recipe Hall of Fame.

Green Bean, Walnut, & Feta Salad

2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed

1 small purple onion, thinly sliced

1 (4-ounce) package crumbled feta cheese

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted

3/4 cup olive oil (I use 1/2 cup.)

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cut green beans into thirds, and arrange in a steamer basket over boiling water, Cover and steam 15 minutes or until crisp-tender. Immediately plunge into cold water to stop the cooking process; drain and pat dry.

Toss together green beans, onion, cheese, and walnuts in a large bowl. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Whisk together olive oil and next 5 ingredients; cover and chill 1 hour.

Pour vinaigrette over green bean mixture, and chill 1 hour; toss just before serving.

Yield: 8 servings

Julie's Notes: I reduce the amount of oil in the vinaigrette. Also, I never seem to have enough prep time to chill the vegetables and dressing separately for an hour first, so I simply toss them all together and chill before serving.