Saturday's salad!

This past Saturday we had a few friends over for dinner.  We ate, laughed and enjoyed copious amounts of adult refreshments.  While the evening was a great time, one memory that keeps floating back to me were the compliments on the salad.  Mind you, while we had perfectly grilled New York steaks (Thanks Jim!), sweet corn on the cob and fresh grilled zucchini for dinner, it was the salad that caused the most buzz.  OK, OK, the wine was the biggest hit but this is a food/cooking blog, so work with me!

The salad really did get several favorable comments so I want to share it with you.  The best part?  It's so easy to prepare, has simple ingredients and you can make a ton of it or just a little bit.  However, the real star of the salad is the dressing.  Yes, the dressing!  But before we dress this beauty, lets make the salad.  Only a few easy to find ingredients are needed.  The amount shown here will serve four people.  You can double up or scale back as much as you need for accommodating your own crowd.

2 cups of of Napa Cabbage, shredded
1 cup red cabbage and green cabbage, shredded
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 handful of chopped fresh cilantro
1 large carrot, julienned

Mix all together and it's ready to be dressed or dressed up!  The dressing consists of only three ingredients and boy do they pack a punch!  The best thing to remember where the dressing is concerned is this:  3, 2, 1

3 Tbsp of soy sauce
2 Tbsp of rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp of toasted sesame oil

That's it!  Shake well then mix into the salad. Keep in mind, this dressing is strongly flavored, so a little goes a long way!  Don't overdress your salad.

If you want to add substance to the salad, toss in some diced avocado or chicken chunks.

For my dinner party I put 2-3 thin slices of seared Ahi on top of each serving.  I bought one average Ahi tuna steak (about $3.00 worth).  I sprinkled it with kosher salt, coarse ground pepper and sesame seeds.  I seared it in a pan until a white line appears on the bottom (where it's been cooked), flip it over for another white line then remove from the heat.  The center should remain raw.  I then cover and chill it in the refrigerator until I'm ready to slice and serve it.  I served it on a white plate so the colors of the salad pop!  Simple ingredients that pack a big punch are always a hit.

This is a great picnic salad for it's ease of transport.  Store the salad into a large air tight bag with a paper towel inside to absorb excess moisture.  Put the dressing in another small air tight bag.

  When ready to serve, shake then pour the dressing into the big bag with the salad,  mix well and serve.  Prepare yourself for culinary accolades! 

Since I had leftover steak (unbelievable, I know!) and planned ahead by making more salad than I needed for the evening, I already had the makings for another night's dinner.  I just dressed enough salad for a meal portion serving, sliced the leftover steak and added avocado.  Presto, a beautiful, filling yet light dinner ready in less than five minutes!  Who says you can't make dinner delicious and beautiful!?!

Your thoughts and questions are welcomed~!