This Crunchy Salad is a high pile of thinly sliced vegetables tossed in an ultra simple dressing. It’s so easy to put together that you can even make it for parties. Best part is that it stays really good for hours without showing any discoloration. It’s a versatile salad that can be served in several ways. I have shown you here along with a video, 4 different ways to enjoy this Crunchy Salad. With the spring vibe already in the air, this salad might become my go to recipe.
I often don’t have a portion control when I make salad. A little too much veggie goes in or a little too much greens. So I have to always find a different way to finish it rather eating the same bowl of salad for two meal in repeat. So this Crunchy Salad Served 4 Ways, and let it clear and say 4 EASY WAYS, comes handy on those days. This salad is adapted from Jamie Oliver’s cookbook - Jamie's Kitchen
What ingredients goes in the Crunchy Salad ?
- Carrots : Grate the carrot or thinly slice it
- Radishes : Thinly slice the radish
- Apples : Thinly slice the apples
- Cucmbers : I like to slice into riboons using a vegetable peeler as it gives a beautiful look to the salad
- Fresh parsley : That’s the only green that goes in the salad
Chopping the vegetables takes the longest time so if you have a food processor, definitely bring it out and use it.
Dressing for the Crunchy Salad:
- Red wine vinegar
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Sesame paste or tahini
- Salt and pepper
- Thick stems of the parsley finely chopped
I do make a little extra dressing to drizzle on top when am serving the salad in different ways.
What are the 4 different ways to serve the salad:
Because the salad already has a lot of veggies, I was looking for quick protein options to add in.
- The first way is of course to enjoy the salad as is. It’s a delicious crunchy salad which is light on the tummy leaving a lovely taste in your palate.
- Serve the salad on a bed of warm cooked quinoa and add a soft boil egg on top. The egg yolks when mixed gives a rich creaminess to the dish.
- The simplest way I like is to pan fry a salmon fillet that I would season with just salt and pepper. Simple, quick and filling.
- Marinate the boneless chicken thigh with your choice of spice and yogurt for few hours. Then pan fry in a cast iron pan or grill pan. Let it get char a little on the outside and make sure the internal temperature is 165F. Then thinly slice the chicken thigh and layer it along with the salad in a pita bread.
These are not the only ways to enjoy the salad and I am sure you can come with many more.
We had a great dinner with these options and even the little one didn’t complain much.
Here are more SALAD ideas to try!
Crunchy Salad Served 4 Ways!
Ingredients
for the salad
- 1 bunch parsley
- 2 bunches rasdish
- 4 mini cucumbers
- 3 carrots
- 3 apples
for the dressing
- red wine vinegar - 3 tablespoons
- extra virging olive oil - 6 tablespoons
- salt - 1 teaspoon
- freshly cracked pepper - 1 teaspoon
- sesame paste or tahini - 1 tablespoon
- Sesame seeds to sprinkle on top
- Zest of a lemon
other ingredients:
- cooked quinoa
- soft boiled eggs
- Salmon fillet seasoned with salt and pepper
- Boneless chicken thigh marinated with yogurt (garam masala, dried fenugreek leaves and salt. (You can choose your choice of spice too))
- Pita bread
Instructions
- Thinly slice the radishes and the apples. Grate the carrot. Using a vegetable peeler make ribbons of the cucumbers. Keep the parsley leaves aside and finely chop the end of the stems.
- In a big mixing bowl, add red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, sesame paste, finely chopped parsley stems, salt and pepper. Whisk to mix everything into a smooth dressing. Taste for salt and add any if needed.
- I like to a small portion of the dressing to drizzle o top when paired with protein or carb.
- Drop all the chopped vegetables in the bowl and give a mix. Then add the parsley leaves and give another toss. Add lemon zest and extra sesame seeds.
- Enjoy the salad!
- To serve with quinoa, layer the salad on a bed of warm cooked quinoa and top it with soft boiled egg. Drizzle extra dressing if you like.
- With a fillet of pan fried salmon it makes a quick carb free easy meal. Drizzle little bit of dressing on top of the salmon fillet.
- Pan fry the boneless chicken thigh on a cast iron pan or a grill pan. Check it a little on the outside and make sure the inside is cooked through. The temperature should reach to 165 F.
- Allow the cooked chicken thigh to rest and then thinly slice it. Layer the sliced chicken along with the salad on a pita bread. Drizzle extra dressing on top and serve.
Easyfoodsmith
Love that riot of colors on the plate!
Nehal Preet
Thanks for sharing this amazing salad recipe! I hope you will share more recipes like this in the future also! Much love & Regards!