I think it's fun how any recipe that involves peanuts gets to be treated as though it originated in Thailand. I got the idea for this Thai-style salad out of the Moosewood cookbook, a good standby, and it was pretty good. The trouble, per usual, is finding just the right low-calorie dressing. For this salad, I used this peanut sauce recipe and then added half a package of silken tofu and gave it a whizz in the VitaMix, and it was ok. Quite good, but could have used less vinegar and, if you're feelin' frisky, more sugar. If anyone has a fabulous peanut sauce/dressing recipe they stand by, they are encouraged to share it.
I did not photograph the salad as it was housed in a tupperware larger than a shoebox and it didn't look so much good as just huge. Come to think of it, I should have posted the picture to show you how serious I am about lettuce. To give you an idea, I was in the process of eating the salad, with no significant breaks, for two hours. It takes so much salad to make a person full, especially when that person went to Jazzercise earlier that day.
Thai Peanut Salad
peanut dressing*
shredded romaine
shredded carrot
chopped cucumber
sprouts of some kind
chopped red pepper
diced tofu, cooked (I froze mine and then microwaved it, per the instructions of the fellow who provided the dressing recipe, and it was spongetastic and really dry. I'm going to try microwaving without freezing next time).
* Missy was kind enough to contribute her peanut sauce recipe, which looks delicious. The ingredients are a little rich, so I am hoping it will still taste good when I make it with light coconut milk and leave out the oil! I know I gotta try it though, because she was so emphatic that she looooooooooves it! For other ideas about how to use this sauce, check out her comment.
just whir together 3/4 c. coconut milk, 1/2 c. peanut butter, 2 cloves garlic, 1 1/2 t. curry powder, 1 1/2 t. brown sugar, 1 T. fresh lime juice, 1 T. canola oil, 1 1/2 T. soy sauce.
