But know that I did not give up on vegan baking. No, siree Bob, I did not! Vegan baking is actually my favorite way to bake now. No eggs to worry about, use my non-dairy milk (I've become partial to almond milk), and voila! Perfectly baked goods ready and waiting for you. Even the snobbiest of eaters will appreciate it.
But enough about baking, this post is about the crispness and freshness of SUMMER! And nothing beats the Texas heat (and Houston humidity) than a cool, refreshing salad. And I found the perfect one.
I subscribe to the Food Network Magazine, as I'm sure a lot of foodies do, and came across this recipe. It's part of an Asian meal, complete with Vietnamese inspired BBQ pork. And being Asian and a self proclaimed connoisseur of Asian foods, I just had to try this. The pork was...OK. Hints of cumin came through, which gave a weird Asian-Mex fusion. Not to say this particular combination doesn't work, some of my favorite food trucks in Houston are Korean-Mex trucks, but my tastebuds just weren't prepared for this. I would say that the star of the show would be the spicy cilantro-scallion salad.
Don't be frightened by the name of this salad. First off, it's not really spicy. Yes, I believe there might have been a pepper used (straight from the garden, no less!), but it's just a hint of spicy. Also, cilantro is center stage in this ensemble. Weird at first, since I've only had lettuce based salads in the past. And cilantro has generally been used as a garnish. I'll be honest, I was scared. But there are also cucumbers in this little salad, so I knew I'd at least have something I could pick through.
I took the first bite, and was pleasantly greeted with a symphony of flavors. It seemed to have an essence of fish sauce, which was weird, because there is absolutely no fish sauce in this recipe. But, I like fish sauce. (To those of you who are not fans of this excellent eggroll dipping sauce, I'm sure it's just all the Asian flavors playing off one another that made me think of this.) The veggies were nice and chilled, making the cucumbers even crisper and lighter, dare I say more delicate. While this may be un-Kosher, I put the salad on hot rice with my BBQ pork. YUM! Though that totally ruined the effect of it being a delicate salad.
Overall, I highly recommend this one. Enjoy!
Spicy Cilantro-Scallion Salad
Ingredients
- 4 scallions, whites and greens separated
- 2 TBS rice vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp chili oil (if available)
- 1 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 2 bunches cilantro (leaves and tender stems)
- 2 Serrano chili, thinly sliced
- 1 English cucumber, cut into thin strips
Directions
Quarter the white parts of the scallions lengthwise, and thinly slice the green parts. Soak the whites in cold water for 15 minutes and drain.
Meanwhile, whisk together the rice vinegar, minced garlic, oils, salt, and sugar. Toss with the scallions (both white and green parts), cilantro, Serrano chile, and cucumber.
