Goat Food Again

I have been grazing lately. Yeah, make like a goat. Eating vegetables, vegetables and more vegetables. Like eating grass. Just as well, I was born in the year of the goat.

I have been behaving myself the past one week. No cookies. No cakes. No ice cream. No chocolate. No rice. No noodles. No potatoes. Get me out of here!!!!

Heh..heh..heh... 

Doing penance is no fun unless if you make your atonement awesome and delicious just like this salad. Last week, I used some almond butter to make a creamy and exotic tasting salad dressing. 

I still had some almond butter left in the bottle and I have to use it up and not let it go to waste. This thing is very expensive over here. One small 180g bottle cost me RM26.50. I don't think I will be buying another bottle anytime soon, though I must say that I think almond butter is incredibly delicious.

When it comes to salad dressings, I think there is a lot of flexibility. You can play mad scientist and start adding stuff that you think will taste good. A dressing would ideally have a nice balance of sweet, sour and salty (or just sour and salty). And it's really nice not to have to follow any recipe and just go with what you have on hand.

So. I scooped all the almond butter from the bottle into a mixing bowl and added Thai chili sauce, soya sauce, brown rice vinegar and toasted sesame oil. Sounds awful? I thought so but after some adjustments, I came up with something really tasty.

As for the salad ingredients, I went with thinly sliced cabbage, grated carrots, some romaine lettuce, sliced cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, avocado cubes, minced coriander leaves and topped with some pumpkin seeds. I also added some roasted chicken to make it a more filling meal.

I made enough dressing to last me another 4 days. This dressing is sweet, sour and salty with the fragrance of toasted sesame and with the almond butter contributing a subtle creaminess.

I did not have to add any water to thin this dressing down as it was loose enough, though it does thicken slightly once refrigerated. With a delicious salad like this, I am one happy goat.

Almond Sesame Vinaigrette 

Recipe source : Phong Hong

Note : The amounts given in this recipe is an approximation as I added and tasted as I went along. Get experimental and adjust to your perference.

Ingredients :

- 3/4 cup almond butter (I used Carver's)

- 1/2 cup brown rice vinegar

- 1/2 cup Thai chili sauce

- 1/4 cup light soya sauce

- 1.5 tbsp toasted sesame oil

Method :

1. Put all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

2. Adjust to taste.

3. Store in an airtight container and keep in the fridge.

Note : The dressing thickens slightly when refrigerated.