Hi everyone and please click on the title of this post to read more. First off, I would like to thank all the ladies who attended my Friday “Take Back the Kitchen” workshop where we made some exotic yet not-too-challenging Thai dishes. What a fun group!
One of the many preparation topics we discussed was that of planning ahead with your salad . When I suggested that we never dress the salad and just serve the dressing on the side in order to use the leftovers for a green shake, the group was apprehensive. Who drinks a salad? Well, I do, as many of you know, and it is a great way to get those greens into your body without spending a long and messy meal chewing on all those greens!
So many of us are busy running around with work, childcare and other activities and may not be able to always focus on the RDA of green, leafy vegetables and fruit. These shakes are an easy and efficient method of making certain we can get all the nutrients we need. Again, it just takes a few seconds of mental prep and physical prep and then we reap the benefits.
Here are some potential obstacles to making green shakes with some ways to overcome them:
“My blender is in the basement or on a high shelf and it is a pain in the butt to get it”
Put your blender in a more convenient spot in your kitchen or even in your closet near the kitchen so it is easily accessible. This may inspire you to use it
“The green color of the shake will repulse me and my kids”
Put the shake in an opaque cup or bottle with a straw so no one can see it.
“I like green, leafy vegetables so why should I make shakes out of them?”
We often have vegetables and fruit that are unappetizing because they are soft, wilted or bruised, but perfectly fine to blend up into a nutritious shake. Why waste them by throwing them out?
So, I hope I have convinced you to eat your salad and drink it too. Enjoy the following salad dressing/sauce that is a modified version of a recipe my friend, Maggie, gave me. I made it more “Thai” by adding fish sauce, lime juice, more peanut butter and Chili garlic sauce. I hope you like it but make sure to serve the dressing on the side so you can use the leftover salad for your shake. Let us know how it works out for you!
Thai Peanut Salad dressing:
3tbs water
2 tbs rice vinegar
1 tbs peanut butter
1 TBS chopped scallions
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp grated fresh ginger (from the produce section of most supermarkets-don’t forget to peel the ginger)
1 tsp Sriracha or any Asian Chili garlic sauce (this is spicy but a small amount. If you don’t like spice, you can omit)
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp lime juice
a few drops of fish sauce (can get at Whole Foods, any Asian Food store and some supermarkets in the Asian section)
2 TBS peanuts
Combine everything but peanuts in a blender, then add peanuts and for 10 seconds (so they are not totally chopped). That’s it. Now go put your feet up with all your extra time!
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8 Responses
I love that veggie shake! I’ve been drinking mine everyday, making a new batch every few days. The kale never goes bad now cuz I can throw it in before that happens. Plus mango, blueberries (which get smushy after a few days in the fridge). And now, watermelon! It’s just my mom and I, so whole watermelon is a lot for us to eat before it goes bad. I’ve been adding a few slices to my veggie shake which makes it very sweet – yummy!
I look forward to trying this out this evening. 2 things that came to mind. 1st, I was pretty sure that Thai peanut dressing/sauce had coconut milk in it so I’m very curious to see how this tastes without it. 2nd, this would also be delicious as a dipping sauce for chicken on a skewer. I’m also thinking if you are out of lime, you could probably substitute with rice wine vinegar, don’t you think? …Love the blog — so glad Jacquie B. turned me on to it…
Hola guapa! Here’s a salad related question for you. Is there a way to prep veggies once or twice a week so they are ready to go for a quick salad any time? How do I keep crisp and fresh?
Hi Jane and lana! (and Pam!)To keep veggies fresh, prep them by chopping however you like them in your salad, DON’T was, wrap in paper towel to avoid the enemy-moisture-and keep in an airtight ziploc or tupperware. Jane-I love Jacquie B! This is a lighter version of chicken satay sauce which has the coconut milk (you can find that on my blog too, btw.) i am currently on south Beach and am enjoying this newer, lighter version. There is rice vinegar in this recipe which does add a little tang but there is nothing like fresh lime juice. thanks for reading and commenting ladies!
Just my ten cents on keeping veggies fresh. I can't recommend Green Bags enough. They are now sold at a lot of supermarkets (A&P; included) and I swear, they keep my greens and fruits fresh for a crazy long time. They somehow allow or prevent some kind of gas from getting in or getting out. Whatever. I just wash em out and reuse them….even just one box will last you for a year.
Whoops! That was “wash” not “was”….
Alma
FYI — I loved the dressing. I have a lunch to go to in a few weeks and I’ve decided, instead of my goat cheese/beet salad, I’m going to make this –with mung beans (spell?) and hard boiled eggs in it — delicious. ..FYI, I made it with a thai chicken and pasta dish and the meal was an “A.” Marinated chicken in garlic, soy, rice wine vinegar, lime,oil, 2 TBS of brown sugar (I think that’s it). Reserved 1/2 marinade and after grilling chicken, chopped it up and threw it in a deep pan with cooked sobo noodles and the rest of the marinade. Sprinked with sesame seeds at the end. Yummy!
The key to the veggie shake is the opaque glass. The first sip is the tough one, after that its very refreshing.