Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: Nada

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This is one of those satisfying, bright, filling, nourishing, addictive, tell your friends, bring to the next garden party salads. It's an eat for your dinner with some sticky rice, clear out the fridge on a Monday or a post hangover, 'dear lord my body needs nourishment' kind of dish.

We started making it during lockdown when a very huge veg box appeared at the door as a gift from my dad and we couldn't fit it in the fridge so we had to get moving. It's been a favourite ever since, it suits all kinds of eaters and happily sits for a while before serving (on the condition you don't shred the vegetables too fine). Feel free to adjust the salad to whatever crunchy veg you like to eat, just make sure the leafy part is sturdy enough for the rich peanut butter dressing. I love raw kale (very 2015 of me) but shredded red cabbage, white cabbage or chard are all equally delicious.

What you need

Dressing

• 1/2 cup or 3 big tbsp Nutshed Peanut Butter (we used Smoky Harissa for some heat but Original Smooth is great too)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 red chilli (optional)
• 1 clove of garlic - chopped
• 1/2 thumb sized piece of ginger - peeled & chopped
• small bunch coriander - chopped
• 2-3 tbsp hot water

Salad 

• red pepper
• carrot
• radish
• scallion
• celery
• red onion
• broccoli
• shredded kale / cabbage / chard or something else sturdy
• (choose whatever you love to eat, frozen peas, edamame, sweet potato, all would be delicious)

optional toppings:

pickled onions*

herbs (we used coriander & mint)

roasted peanuts

 

What you do

Chop all your vegetables up, add to a big tray and mix.

1) For the dressing add all the ingredients except for the coriander and hot water to the blender and blitz blitz blitz until smooth. Check for saltiness (soy sauce), sweetness (maple), brightness (vinegar) and adjust if necessary. Add 2tbsp hot water and coriander and blitz again. Check the consistency, you want it drizzle-able but not thin, then add another tbsp of water if it needs it.

2) Drizzle your dressing all over the prepped salad, rough it up with tongs or your hands and top with extra herbs, chopped peanuts, pickled onions...whatever you fancy.

*To make pink pickled onions: Thinly slice 2 red onions and place in a bowl. Add the juice of a lime, 2 tsp of flaky sea salt & a splash of rice vinegar and mix around. Cover and set aside for an hour or so or if you want them to turn bright pink, leave overnight & store in the fridge.