Cucumber Salad with Peanut-Lime Vinaigrette - Easy

The fan was a souvenir from a cousin's wedding.

While there are plenty of salad recipes out there with complicated dressings,  many times simple is simply the best.  Case in point:  this quick, easy parve, vegan and gluten-free Thai restaurant-style salad I found at Vegetarian Times. 

Gee ... could I have crowded in any more adjectives?  So many adjectives you could plotz!

I changed the few ingredients a tad  Much of the oil was replaced with water.  Instead of standard cucumbers which come with a wax coating, English cucumbers come hermetically sealed in plastic wrap,  so removal of wax or skin is unnecessary.  To make this salad more like those served at Thai restaurants, I topped it with fine carrot shreds. 














By the way, it only a couple extra minutes to shred a carrot, but leave out the carrot if you are having a bad day and the thought of yet another step between you and dinner leaves you in tears.   Despite what Christopher Kimball said, cooking can be easy.  Especially with a non-cooking recipe such as this.

To make up to a day in advance, whisk dressing ingredients, slice cuke and shred carrot; refrigerate each item separately Chop the peanuts and store, covered, at room temperature.  Up to 15 minutes before serving, assemble salad on individual plates and leave at room temperature.  Chop and garnish with the cilantro just before serving.


Cucumber Salad with Peanut-Lime Vinaigrette - Easy
Adapted from Vegetarian Times
Serves 4

Juice from 1 lime (about 1 tablespoon)
1 Tbl. creamy peanut butter
2 Tbl. water
1 Tbl. toasted sesame oil
1/4 tsp. kosher salt (optional)
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot (or 3 baby carrots)
Sriracha sauce (optional)
1/4 cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts
4 tsp. chopped cilantro leaves

Spilled a bit of sesame oil.  Luckily a paper towel was there.

Whisk together the lime juice, peanut butter, water, sesame oil and salt (if using) until smooth.  Add more water to thin, if necessary.  You want the dressing thin enough to drizzle around, not plop on.  Set aside.

I only had baby carrots.  Plan better and use a regular one.

Shred carrot; set shreds aside as well.

Arrange cucumber slices on 4 salad plates, overlapping decoratively.  Divide peanut sauce over cuke slices.  Dot with sriracha, if using.  Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and cilantro leaves; serve immediately.