Thai Inspired Freshness

Hey there! The weather is finally improving from constant grey blandness to wonderful sunny goodness (at least a little bit). That means long walks, bike rides, and hiking. It also means that the gardens are growing, and we are slowing switching from heavy, hearty soups, stews and braises to light, fresh seasonal produce.

We've been trying to eat healthier around here, but that doesn't always have to mean steamed veggies and lettuce. Healthy food can still be delicious and packed with flavour. Today, I've chosen to take a little bit of Thai inspiration with a beautiful cucumber salad with peanuts and a sweet chili glazed salmon.

This salad combines lovely fresh cucumbers with a bit of onion, chili and cilantro (or coriander for some of you). Top this fresh salad with a lovely vinaigrette and top with crunchy peanuts and you have a wonderful healthy snack, or a healthy salad side. 

Ingredients and Instructions

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Thai Inspired Cucumber Salad

For the salad:
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2 cucumbers, cut lengthways and deseeded
1 red onion, cut into thin slices
100 ml/ 1/3 cup hopped cilantro/coriander (a handful leaves)
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp salt
100 g salted roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

For the vinaigrette:

60 ml / 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1.5 tbsp honey
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp fish sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder

1. Split the cucumbers lengthwise, and use a teaspoon to scrape out the seeds. 
2. Cut cucumber into slices and place in a large bowl.
3. Sprinkle cucumber with salt and mix well. Let sit for 45 minutes to an hours to draw some of the water from the cucumbers. Drain excess water from cucumbers, and place in clean bowl.
4. Slice red onion thinly.
5. Roughly chop cilantro and peanuts.
6. Mix all ingredients together.
7. Whisk vinaigrette ingredients together in separate bowl.
8. Spoon vinaigrette over salad and mix well.

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To serve with your delicious salad, try a piece of broiled salmon. Simply marinade salmon in sweet chili sauce for an hour, and broil for approximately 7-10 minutes. Brush with more sweet chili sauce, sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve with a bit of lime.

This meal is a perfect for busy weeknights where you just don't feel like putting a bunch of effort into the kitchen. It's fairly quick, healthy, and has buckets of flavour. Print or share a direct link to the recipe here.

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Until next time, stay chefy and enjoy any good weather that comes your way!