Chopped Thai Salad with Honey Garlic Dressing

Fast, fresh, and incredibly delicious, this chopped Thai salad with honey garlic dressing is easily one of my favorite salads in the history of ever!

I usually kind of roll my eyes when people ask if it is the weekend yet. I mean, have you looked at the calendar? If it’s only Wednesday, it’s only Wednesday. But this week, I’m all: IS IT THE WEEKEND YET? Every day this week.

Here’s to hoping the weekend is all I’ve dreamed it to be.

Actually, all I really care about is finally getting my Jeni’s ice cream tasting in, because I’ve been exercising some serious self-control at letting those pints of ice cream languish in my freezer with nary a bite.

Ok, I may have had one or five little nibbles of the sweet corn + raspberry ice cream. Heaven help me. Amazing.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, it’s ok. Just an obsession and Instastory dedicated to Jeni’s ice cream, which I finally ordered online and have decided I should probably fall in love with.

Third item of business…if you are only here for the food, boy are you in for a good one today.

I know salad will never match up to the allure of, say, chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream sandwiches, but when salad is as good as this chopped Thai salad with honey garlic dressing…well, it deserves a special spot in history.

Food blogging history.

Personally, I’m totally down with salad for dinner, as long as it is so satisfyingly delicious, it leaves residents of the dinner table crying (and not because they feel like gagging on red bell peppers, mr. 9-year old, I’m looking at you).

This salad is easily one of my favorite salads ever. Ever, ever.

Can one overdose on vegetables and greens and all things honey garlic dressing goodness?

Because I may be at serious risk of doing exactly that every time I serve this salad.

It is ridiculously addicting. All those chopped vegetables and crunchy cashews and intensely flavorful dressing – I just cannot be stopped.

There’s something about chopping everything up into bits that makes a salad ultimately appealing, if you ask me.

I’m not talking about going crazy and spending half your awake hours mincing everything into unidentifiable bits, but rather, chopping all the fresh ingredients into relatively the same size.

I love it.

Chopped salads for life.

It probably goes without saying (you know me, I’ll say it anyway), but this chopped Thai salad is other-worldly served with something simple like this Grilled Island Chicken or my all-time favorite, crazy delicious Chipotle Chicken Skewers.

We had it last week with this Grilled Honey and Ginger Flank Steak, and the whole combo was superb (these flaky buttermilk biscuits clearly didn’t hurt matters any).

Of course, like any good salad, this chopped Thai number can stand on its own quite well, too.

I’ve been making a smaller one-person version (ok, fine, three-person, but I eat it like it’s meant for one-person) for lunch, and I may never stop.

All the salad and vegetable components can be chopped and prepped days ahead of time. Same with the dreamy honey garlic dressing. A little drizzly drizzle, and lunch is served.

Who knew salad could make me wax poetic so close to the weekend?

One taste of this chopped Thai salad, and I think you’ll understand what my problem is. You’ll most likely be very willing to take it on as your problem, as well.

Love ya.

Happy weekend.

Happy chopped Thai salad with honey garlic dressing weekend.

Happy reward yourself with cookies and ice cream for eating a family-size portion of salad weekend.

It’s going to be a good weekend.

One Year Ago: Lemon Blueberry Cake with Whipped Lemon Cream Frosting
Two Years Ago: Zucchini Pizza Crust {Low-Carb and Totally Amazing}
Three Years Ago: Slow Cooker Beef and Barley Soup

Chopped Thai Salad with Honey Garlic Dressing

Yield: 8 Servings

Prep Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 25 minutes mins

4.78 stars (71 ratings)

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Ingredients

Dressing:

• ¼ cup canola, vegetable, avocado or other neutral-flavored oil
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 heaping tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger, or ginger paste
• ½ to 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Salad:

• 4 cups chopped kale or baby kale, about 113 grams
• 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce, about 113 grams
• 3 large carrots, peeled and small diced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and small diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and small diced
• ½ cup chopped cilantro
• 1 to 2 green onions, white and green parts chopped
• ¾ cup roasted cashews
• 1 to 2 cups frozen, shelled edamame (fully cooked), thawed and patted dry (see note)

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Instructions 

• Combine all the dressing ingredients together in a blender and process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed.
• In a serving or salad bowl, add the chopped kale, romaine, carrots, bell peppers, cilantro and green onions.
• In a food processor (or blender…or by hand with an old-fashioned knife and cutting board), add the edamame and pulse until minced but still a little chunky in texture. Scrape the edamame into the salad bowl.
• Add the cashews to the food processor (or blender…or again, with a knife and cutting board) and pulse until coarsely chopped to desired texture. Add the cashews to the salad bowl.
• Give the salad ingredients a light toss.
• Pour about half of the dressing over the salad, and toss to combine. Add additional dressing to taste, and serve immediately. To preserve crisp leftovers, add the dressing only to individual servings instead of the whole batch so leftover salad doesn’t get soggy.

Notes

Edamame: is often available in the frozen vegetable section. Trader Joe’s sells already shelled, fully cooked, frozen edamame, but I’ve also seen it in a couple local grocery stores’ freezer section. If you can only find edamame still shelled, defrost and pop the edamame out of the shells. Most frozen edamame I’ve seen is already steamed/fully cooked. If it’s not, steam it for 4-5 minutes, cool, and then use in the recipe.

Chickpeas: if you can’t find edamame at all, try subbing chickpeas (well-drained) or fresh or thawed (and patted dry) green peas. If using either of these, make sure not to process too much or you’ll end up with paste instead of the delightful minced texture you’re after.

Author: Mel

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Thai

Method: No-Bake

Serving: 1 Serving, Calories: 192kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 315mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g

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Recipe Source: adapted from Pinch of Yum (reduced oil in dressing, changed up soy sauce and sesame oil amount, altered type of vinegar, messed with the salad ingredients)

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