Crunchy Thai Salad with Creamy "Peanut" Dressing

This tasty Crunchy Thai Salad with Creamy "Peanut" Dressing is packed with crisp veggies and a simple allergy-free "peanut" sauce that will have everyone begging for seconds! Vegan and gluten-free.

Man oh man it feels goooooood to dig into a salad and be like "hot dayum, this is serious."

Let's break down this here wonder salad, shall we? For the base we've got a delectable mix of shredded cabbage (I used a pre-bagged cole slaw mix cuz I'm lazy like that), sweet sliced romaine, shredded carrots, and red bell pepper. Toss all those delightfully crisp veggies with a sweet, gingery "peanut" sauce (that's actually made with Sunbutter!!) and your crunchy, toasty nut/seed of choice on top and voila! You just made a major salad.

IT'S MAJOR.

You should totally bring it to a party. A potluck. A gathering of sorts. It'll be the star. You'll be the star!!

I imagine you could get fancy with this one, too. Feeding carnivores? Toss in grilled chicken, wild salmon, or shrimp. Feeding hangry herbivores? Toss in baked tofu (this one is my fave), tempeh sausage, roasted chickpeas, a veggie burger, or edamame. I think cilantro would be a fantastic addition, too!

I wish I could take credit for this recipe my dears but I simply cannot. It's from Detoxinista's brand spankin' new cookbook, No Excuses Detox! Now don't get your panties in a bunch about the word "detox." Megan has a super fun approach to eating---no dieting, juice fasting, or calorie counting required. My kinda lady!

The book is totally beautiful and chock full of super simple, affordable, and tasty recipes that anyone can make and enjoy. She's the busy home cook's best friend when it comes to whipping up impressive meals in a snap. From Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookies and Sloppy-Joe Stuffed Sweet Potatoes to Freezer Waffles and Cauliflower Baked Ziti, the recipes are totally drool-worthy yet easy enough to stay approachable. This ain't no green juice cookbook!

Another thing I love about this book is the cost per serving, which really speaks to eating healthy not being so crazy expensive like some people make it out to be. This salad costs a mere $1.63 per serving! That's hot.

As far as ingredients go, if you're using fresh ginger, use the back of a spoon to peel it. Such a great hack! I always keep this bottled ginger in the fridge for when I don't have fresh. I'm totally guilty of rarely squeezing lemons, so having this bottled lemon juice on hand is another life saver. If you have extra sunflower seed butter after this recipe, try it smothered over a baked sweet potato with sea salt and cinnamon. SOOO GOOOOOOD.

Psssst if you want to use peanut butter in this recipe (this and this are my fave), that's totally fine. A lot of people have peanut allergies so that's why Megan offered an alternative to traditional peanut sauce.

I adored Megan's first book, Everyday Detox, so I knew this one would just as good if not better. I've been oohing and ahhing over her blog for a very long time and whipping up countless batches of Carrot Ginger Dressing and Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies along the way. Megan is a total role model when it comes to being a healthy blogging badass woman! I feel like everything has come full circle as I review the cookbook of someone who has inspired me since my blog was a little baby.

Now when I made this, I stored all the salad stuff separately from the dressing. In the morning, I threw a ton of salad in a Tupperware with the dressing on the side plus some leftover tempeh sausage, roasted chickpeas, a veggie burger, or whatever other toppings I was feelin' like. On the side I'd pack carrot sticks with hummus or guacamole, a sliced apple with cinnamon, and a couple no-bake bites or a muffin for snacking. You know how I roll with all the sweet and savory!

I hope your weekend is filled with fairy dust and butterflies. You deserve it!

Crunchy Thai Salad with Creamy "Peanut" Dressing

★★★★★ 4.8 from 14 reviews

• Author: Alexis
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Salad

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Description

This tasty Crunchy Thai Salad with Creamy "Peanut" Dressing is packed with crisp veggies and a simple allergy-free "peanut" sauce that will have everyone begging for seconds! Vegan and gluten-free.

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Ingredients

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For the dressing:

• ¼ cup sunflower seed butter (can sub peanut butter)
• 1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp tamari (certified GF if necessary)
• 3 tbsp raw honey or maple syrup
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1-inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup water, or more to thin

For the salad:

• 2 heads of romaine lettuce, shredded (I used 1 large head)
• ½ head cabbage. or 1 (12-ounce) bag
• 3 carrots, shredded
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• ½ cup sunflower seeds (I used roasted cashews)

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Instructions

1. To prepare the dressing: In a high-speed blender, combine the seed butter, vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, tamari, honey or maple syrup, garlic, ginger, salt, red pepper flakes, and water and blend until completely smooth. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, and sunflower seeds. Pour the dressing over the top and toss well to coat. Serve immediately. This salad will wilt rather quickly after its dressed, so if you want to save a portion for later, store the salas and dressing separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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Notes

Reprinted with permission from No Excuses Detox, copyright © 2017 by Megan Gilmore, published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. Photography copyright © 2017 by Erin Scott

DID YOU MAKE IT?!

I love seeing your creations! Let me know how you liked this recipe in the comments below or snap a pic on Instagram with the hashtag #hummusapien! I love to re-post my favorites.