Orange and Edamame Salad

Wow! I never dreamed I'd have such a huge response to my request for salad ideas. I made up a list and went to the grocery store this morning and bought four different kinds of lettuce (plus cabbage), four kinds of fruit (five if you count avocado), and several vegetables that I didn't have on hand. I have so many ideas for salads floating around in my head that I didn't know where to start, so I started simple, with one that didn't involve pre-roasting or cooking anything. After spending all morning at the grocery store, I didn't have much time to throw together this lunch salad!

So this one's not unusual. In fact, the only unusual ingredient to me was the snow peas, which it turns out that I don't really like raw. So the next time I make this, I'll go back to my usual bean sprouts, but for those of you who like snow peas, this one's for you.



Orange and Edamame Salad

Boston bibb lettuce
snow peas, trimmed and sliced diagonally
red bell pepper, slivered
navel orange, divided into sections
frozen shelled edamame, boiled for 5 minutes
toasted sesame seeds
Orange-Sesame Dressing (below)

Orange-Sesame Dressing (enough for 2 large salads)

1/2 tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1/2 tbsp. mirin (sweet rice wine)
1/2 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. ground flax seeds

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Make this in advance and refrigerate for an hour or two to allow time for the ground flax seeds to thicken the dressing. Shake well before using.

(By the way, what you see in the photo was just the "camera ready" salad. I ate it and a huge, less photogenic version right out of the family salad bowl. Those of you who follow Eat to Live know that it takes a lot of salad to make up the one pound per day that Dr. Fuhrman advises.)

Thanks for all the ideas, and keep 'em coming!

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free Eat to Live