Pad Thai Salad Dressing (aka Peanut Lime Dressing)

I will confess that this dish came around after a rather weird and intense craving for sprouts. All I can guess is that it was hot, I had been up since 4am for a flight, I wanted pad thai but I didn't want hot pad thai, I wanted peanuts, I had a lot of veggies to eat, and I wanted crunchy things.  Not fussy at all, right? It took trips to not one, not two, but THREE grocery stores (way to fail hard, Central Square), because one store was out of one thing, another store was out of the other, and you get the idea.  

The only recipe I've included here is for the dressing, mostly because I hope that I live in a world where people old enough to wield kitchen knives can make their own decisions about what to put into their own salads, even if we can agree on nothing else.  I chose to test using bean sprouts in lieu of noodles, but you can easily go big and use them instead, but I'd recommend chilled regardless.  I also threw some shredded radishes and carrots, tomatoes, red peppers, baked tofu (or should I say overbaked tofu...turns out letting it cleverly cool in the oven is not actually clever), baby spinach and kale, avocado, and love.  That last one is key, you guys.  I suspect this would also taste great with napa cabbage, and probably anything else you want to coat with this dressing, which is the real winner, aside from you when you make and eat this.  For reference, depending on your dressing amount preference, I'd say this makes enough for 4-6 dinner-sized salads; it stores well, but you may need to thin it with H2O!  Invite a friend over, pair this with your favorite summer beverage, mischief managed.

Pad Thai (Peanut Lime) Salad Dressing

Dressing for 4-6 dinner-sized salads

Pad Thai Salad Dressing (Peanut Lime Dressing)/Clean Plate Club

Ingredients

1 clove garlic

2 Tbsp sesame oil

¼ c natural PB (chunky or smooth)

1 tsp fresh grated ginger

3 Tbsp lime juice

2 Tbsp low sodium soy

1 Tbsp honey

3 Tbsp water

½ tsp rice vinegar

½-1 tsp red pepper flakes (depending on your wimp level)

Directions

Take all of the ingredients, measure them, drop them into a blending vessel.

Blend them.

Blend them some more.

Now put it on a salad, not directly into your mouth like I know you want to.

Now put the dressed salad in your mouth.

ENJOY.