Cashew Crunch Salad

I hope you have a. giant bowl for this one!

I pour the dressing as needed so then the salad keeps longer in fridge.

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Cashew Crunch Salad

Yield: 6-8

Author: Pinch of Yum

Cashew Crunch Salad with Sesame Dressing – this is the healthy summer recipe that makes me ACTUALLY WANT TO EAT A SALAD.

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Ingredients

Salad

• ½ head of green cabbage, finely shredded
• ½ head of purple cabbage, finely shredded
• 2 cups carrots, matchstick-cut or shredded
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• ½ cup sliced green onion
• 2 cups cooked edamame (see notes)
• 1 to 2 cups roasted cashews (see notes)
• 2 cups crunchy chow mein noodles
• chicken, shrimp, or any other protein you like

Dressing

• ¼ cup olive oil (you can use any other oil as well)
• 3 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil – very important for flavor!
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• a few shakes of garlic powder
• optional: ¼ cup Greek yogurt or mayo (more or less to taste)

Instructions

1. Shake the dressing ingredients up in a jar until smooth. Add the Greek yogurt or mayo (optional – just makes it more creamy) and shake again until smooth. YUM.
2. Toss all the salad ingredients together. Drizzle with dressing and serve!

Notes

I like this salad just fine without chicken or shrimp… but if you do want to grill some chicken or shrimp to go with it (yummy), I recommend marinating it in soy sauce, honey, and garlic for a bit to give even more flavor.

If you are making this ahead, you can definitely chop and prep all the veggies in advance and even mix them together. I would just hold off on mixing in the chow mein, cashews, and dressing until just before serving.

I buy edamame frozen, already shelled, and just boil them for a few minutes like you would boil peas.

I like this salad with regular roasted cashews – I also love it with those super spicy, flavor-loaded Thai cashews from Trader Joe’s!

You can easily omit the Greek yogurt or mayo to keep this a vegan / dairy free salad! The dressing will be a little less thick (more like a vinaigrette), but it’s still totally delicious. For a creamy dairy-free alternative, you could try miso!

Gluten Free: leave off the noodles

https://www.anthologyofcrumbs.com/cashew-crunch-salad

salad, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, snack, cashew, crunch

Mains, Salads, Vegan & Vegetarian, Dairy Free, Gluten Free