Chopped Sesame Salad

Chopped Sesame Salad

I got a food processor this year and am maybe a little too obsessed with it. I swear that finely chopped vegetables taste better than vegetables chopped by hand! When I worked at Pita Pit, we would use an industrial dicer to prep veggies and I think that’s one of the reasons why when you buy a pita it tastes better than when you make one at home. So, I think the food processor is one of the reasons this salad is delicious, plus a yummy sesame dressing.

Of course you can make this without a food processor, but I would recommend getting one because it speeds up the process and you can use a food processor for so many things!

This salad is delicious without chicken as well.

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INGREDIENTS

Chicken and Marinade (optional)
2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 tbsp. canola oil
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. honey
2 cloves garlic, diced

Salad
1 1/2 cups frozen shelled edamame
1 bunch of kale
3 large carrots
2 bell peppers (red, yellow or orange)
3 green onions
3/4 cup cashew pieces
1 cup cilantro leaves (optional)

Dressing
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tbsp. sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 tbsp. shredded ginger
5 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp. water
1 1/2 tbsp. white vinegar
2 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. lime juice
2 tsp. sesame seeds

YIELD

4 servings

TIME

• Marinade - 30 minutes - 3 hours

• Prep - 40 minutes

• Cook - 35 minutes

TOOLS

• Food processor

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix chicken marinade in a medium bowl. Add chicken and turn to coat both sides. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes.

3. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add edamame and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Allow to cool completely.

4. Remove stems from kale and cut into large pieces that will fit into your food processor. Add 1 -2 leaves to the food processor at a time and pulse until the kale is finely chopped. Place kale on the bottom of your salad bowls.

5. One at a time, chop up ingredients in your food processor and add to your salad bowls.

   • Peel carrots and use shredding disc.

   • Pulse edamame with chopping blade.

   • Pulse cashews with chopping blade.

   • Pulse peppers with chopping blade or thinly slice by hand.

   • Pulse green onions with chopping blade or chop by hand.

   • Pulse cilantro with chopping blade.

6. Mix all dressing ingredients together in a large measuring cup.

7. Remove chicken from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before thinly slicing.

8. Assemble salad and enjoy.

Adapted from Pinch of Yum.

ADAPTATIONS

I added chicken breasts to my salad on request of my boyfriend, but the original recipe I used for this salad is vegetarian. You can increase the edamame and cashews to increase protein for a vegetarian version.