Burmese Salad

Aloha!

I just returned from another incredible trip to Kauai!

We spent almost three weeks taking beach walks, surfing, free diving, beachcombing, ceramic hunting, muumuu shopping, and drinking a ton of green juice. It was amazing!

On this trip to Kauai, we finally opted for accommodations with a kitchen. We love eating out on vacation but over the years we have found that we are more comfortable making the majority of our meals at home. Especially on longer trips. Not only is it more affordable but we generally feel so much better when we do this. Plus, Kauai has some pretty amazing farmer’s markets so it makes it even more enjoyable to make meals at home.

However, we did make a few exceptions…

My favorite place to eat on Kauai’s Northshore is an upscale ramen restaurant named Ama. Not only is the food absolutely delicious but the airy building and general esthetics are so on point! Beautiful dark wood interior, open-air with garden seating, an incredible view of the waterfall abundant mountains of Hanalei, beautiful Balinese teak furniture, bamboo lanterns, and a generous amount of orchids. Seriously, EVERYTHING I LOVE! Check out their website HERE.

I think we went to Ama maybe five times on this three-week-long trip? I basically ordered the same exact thing every time…Fried Brussel sprouts ( minus the fish sauce ), ramen with a vegan spicy miso broth, and a Burmese salad with a ginger vinaigrette that I’m completely obsessed with!

As soon as I returned to Maui, I did my best to recreate the Brussel sprout dish and the Burmese salad and honestly, I think I nailed them both! Or at least made a very passable version of them.

So here’s my attempt at Ama’s incredible Burmese salad. I’ll post my version of the Brussel sprout dish in another post. If you make it to Kauai, make sure to make a reservation ahead of time at Ama so you can try the real deal!

Burmese Salad - two entree size salads or 4 small

Roasted Lentils - Pre-heat oven to 350F

• 1, 14 oz can of brown lentils. Drained, rinsed, and patted dry on a paper towel

• garlic powder and salt

• avocado oil spray

  Spread drained, rinsed, and dried lentils on an oiled parchment-lined cookie sheet making one layer. It’s important to use pre-cooked lentils when making this recipe. I used canned lentils for convenience but you can easily cook your own. After spreading the lentils on a cookie sheet, spray lightly with avocado oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, shake, add a sprinkle of garlic powder and bake for another 10 minutes until slightly crispy. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. I use about half the cooked lentils for this recipe and save the rest to snack on or to add to other salads for veggie bowls.

Ginger Dressing - you will have leftovers

• 1/4 cup avocado oil

• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

• 1.5 Tbs cane sugar or coconut sugar

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 Tb grated fresh ginger

  Mix/shake all the ingredients until the sugar is dissolved.

Salad Base

• Romaine lettuce ( 1 medium head ) finely chopped

• Napa Cabbage ( 1 medium head, tender green part of leaf only ) finely chopped. If you can’t find Napa cabbage you can just add extra chopped romaine.

• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

• 1/3 cup sliced sushi-style ginger ( I used the Ginger People brand )

• 1 Tb sesame seeds

• 1/3 cup chopped peanuts ( or almonds if avoiding peanuts, cashews would work too )

• 2 Tbs sunflower seeds ( optional )

• 1 red Fresno thinly sliced or Thai chili thinly sliced ( optional ) These chilies are HOT so be careful.

  Place all the salad-base ingredients in a large bowl. Add about 1/2 of the prepared roasted lentils and 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of the ginger dressing. Toss everything together and enjoy!

  ***Cubed and baked teriyaki tofu make a fabulous addition to this dish. Add a side of sticky rice and you got a great filling meal.

Sweet and Salty Tofu Salad

One of my favorite go-to meals when I want something really light but also full of flavor and equally filling. I make some sort of variation of this salad at least once a week. Feel free to add extras like sliced bell peppers, chopped green onions, or even torn Thai basil. Also, the potions I list below just approximate servings. If you like less cabbage, add more lettuce. Hate Cilantro? Leave it out. You get what I’m saying…

BTW - Any leftover dressing will keep for 7-10 days and tastes absolutely delicious on top of cold rice noodles or rice.

Salad Base - makes 1 large salad as a main dish or 2-3 small side salads

• 1/2 of a 14oz block of extra firm organic ( ideally sprouted ) tofu cut into 1/2 inch cubes. I like the Wildwood brand.

• 1 Tb coconut aminos

• Oil spray ( like avocado )

• 2 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce

• 1 cup thinly sliced Napa cabbage

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced purple cabbage

• 1/2 cup grated carrots

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced or grated cucumber

• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

• 1 Tb chopped fresh mint

• 1 Tb chopped roasted peanuts or cashews

Dressing

• 1/3 cup lime juice

• 1/3 cup coconut aminos

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 1.5 Tb toasted sesame oil

• 1 Tb sambal ( optional but this will add the spice )

Lightly spray a neutral oil ( I like avocado oil ) on a medium skillet. Add cubed tofu and saute over medium-high heat until all sides are slightly golden in color, about 5-7 minutes. Add about 1 Tb of coconut aminos ( or tamari or light soy sauce ) and continue to saute tofu until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, place sauteed tofu in a bowl, and then place in the refrigerator until cooled.

Mix all ingredients for the dressing together in a small mason jar. This makes more than one serving so place what you don’t use in the refrigerator for later use.

Thinly slice/chop romaine lettuce, Napa cabbage, purple cabbage, carrots, cucumber, and herbs.

In a large but shallow salad bowl, stack sliced lettuce, cabbage, cucumbers, and carrots. Add cooled tofu and top with cilantro, mint, and chopped nuts, and then drizzle dressing over the salad to your liking ( I like a lot of dressing! ) ENJOY!

Jewel Box Salad

This pretty winter salad was inspired by a recent dinner at the Hali’imaile General Store in Makawao. I took the liberty of adding a vegan cheese but this addition is completely optional. I also thought that a citrus-based dressing would be a nice compliment to the roasted veggies.

Jewel Box Salad - makes one large salad

• 2-3 cups of mixed leafy greens

• 1/2 cup of roasted butternut squash ( made from frozen butternut cubes )

• 1/2 cup of roasted corn kernels

• 1/4 cup vegan ricotta, crumbled ( I like Kite Hill )

• 2 Tb chopped walnuts ( toasted walnuts are nice here )

• 2 Tb dried cranberries

Citrus Dressing

• 1/4 cup orange or tangerine juice

• 1/4 cup avocado oil ( or olive oil )

• 2 Tb white balsamic or champagne vinegar

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 2 drops of liquid stevia or 2 tsp maple syrup

• cracked black pepper ( about 1/8 tsp or more )

*Wisk all ingredients together and taste. Adjust any ingredients to your liking. Place in the fridge to chill until ready. This makes about 4 servings of dressing.

To prep salad ingredients

Preheat oven to 375F.

*Place frozen butternut squash cubes on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. I used a whole 10oz bag of frozen butternut so I did have some leftovers. Feel free to toss with a little bit of neutral-tasting oil ( like avocado oil ) but this isn’t totally necessary. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cubes are slightly golden brown and crispy looking. This step can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge.

*While the squash is roasting, place 1/2 cup fresh corn kernels on a lightly oiled, non-stick skillet over med-high heat. Saute until corn is lightly roasted ( about 10 minutes ) This step can also be done ahead of time and kept in the fridge until ready.

To assemble salad

Place fresh leafy greens In a large shallow bowl. Top with 1/2 cup of the chilled or room temperature roasted butternut squash, the chilled or room temperature roasted corn kernels, 2 Tb of dried cranberries, 2 Tb of chopped walnuts, and 1/4 cup crumbled ricotta. Dress with 2 -3 Tb of the Citrus dressing and toss. Serve with extra cracked black pepper.

Heirloom Tomato and Asparagus Salad

Hi!

How you all doing?

It’s probably no surprise but let me tell you, it’s hot AF out here in the Mid-Pacific. I swear, the older I get, the more and more I crave the cooler months between November and March out here in Hawaii.

Almost there. I seriously CANNOT wait!

So, I’m assuming that most of you are pretty over meal prepping these days and even worse, having to heat up an oven? Am I right?

So guess what?! I have a perfect dish for you!

This deconstructed salad is quick, nutritious, full of fiber, has strong crave-worthy flavors and it even looks, kinda fancy. I’ll be making this several times a week now for sure. I mean, you really gotta take advantage of those amazing late summer tomatoes right now right?

Heirloom Tomato and Asparagus Salad

*This can make an individual plate for yourself ( like pictured ) or supersize it for a group.

• 1 large thickly sliced Heirloom tomato ( regular tomatoes are fine but make sure they are perfectly ripe )

• 1/4 large sweet onion ( Like a Maui Onion ), shaved

• 1 large handful of arugula

• 1/2 cup jarred or canned heart of palm, drained and sliced

• 1/4 cup mixed olives. I love the olives with the pits still intact at the olive bar at Wholefoods.

• 1/3 of a bundle of fresh asparagus ( don’t forget to snap off the tough ends )

Aioli

• 2 Tbs Veganaise + 2 Tbs Dijon mustard mixed with 2 tsp fresh lemon juice.

To Prep Salad

*For the asparagus - bring salted water to a boil and blanch trimmed asparagus for 30 seconds. Drain and then immediately dunk in a dish of icy water to stop the cooking.

*Slice tomato and heart of palm then arrange on a plate with the blanched asparagus and the olives. Add a handful of arugula, top tomatoes with shaved sweet onion, then sprinkle on flaky salt ( like Maldon’s ) and cracked pepper. Sometimes I add a little ( aged) balsamic vinegar to the thick tomato slices, but this is definitely optional.

*Serve with aioli for dipping!