Soon, the tenderest of fresh spring greens will be gracing my table and transforming my meals into moments to savor and enjoy. But lest you worry that savoring and enjoying the offerings on your table is weeks off, let me share with you a simple salad that's great all year long and gives you a fantastic Asian dressing that you'll want to work into your salad routine. And did I mention it takes all of ten minutes to make this, including the dressing? What's not to love?
I like using cucumber, sweet pepper, and green onions in this salad, but you can opt for other veggie combinations. The pepper brings some extra color to the mix - you could even work in several colors of mini pepper if you'd like. Cucumber brings both moisture and crunch to the mix and green onions play a flavor duet with the peppers. A flavor and texture delight and all in just a few minutes.
Serve this salad alongside your favorite grilled foods, with Asian cuisine, or tossed with your favorite protein and tucked into a wrap or serve in your favorite salad bowl for lunch or a light dinner. As our days get longer and warmer, a lot more variety will be showing up on the table, but this one's a winner any time of the year!
Quick Asian Veggie Salad
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce or tamari sauce for gluten free
- 1 large cucumber, quartered lengthwise and sliced
- 2 mini red peppers, seeded and diced
- 3 tablespoons sliced green onions
In a resealable glass jar, combine the first 5 ingredients (extra virgin olive oil through soy or tamari sauce). Seal the jar and shake vigorously to combine; set aside.
Place the cucumber, peppers, and green onions in a serving bowl. Drizzle with as much dressing as you'd like and toss well to coat. Chill until ready to serve. Refrigerate any unused dressing and use within 2 weeks.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: 10 minutes