The flavors of this salad will transport you to your favorite Japanese restaurant. It’s loosely adapted from Gwyneth Paltrow’s awesome cookbook It’s All Good. I made a few major tweaks to the recipe and I just love it. If you choose to use the Nori-Sesame Sprinkle over the top of this salad, it tastes a bit like sushi!

Serves 6

1 head Bibb or Romaine lettuce, washed well and torn

2 perfectly ripe tomatoes, cut into big chunks

1/2 cucumber, sliced thin

1/2 red onion, sliced thin

3 large chicken breasts, chilled well and shredded

Carrot-Ginger-Scallion Dressing (recipe below)

Nori-Sesame Sprinkle (recipe below, optional)

black toasted sesame seeds

Sriracha hot sauce (optional)

Ponzu Sauce (optional)

Tear lettuce into bite size pieces and divide it among 6 plates. Top each salad with an equal amount of tomato chunks, cucumber slices, shredded chicken, desired amount of dressing, Nori, sesame seeds, hot sauce and ponzu.

~ Carrot-Ginger-Scallion Dressing ~

2 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

3 green onions + tops, chopped

1/4 cup peeled, roughly chopped, fresh ginger root

1 large garlic clove, peeled and halved

1/4 cup cream sherry

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 Tablespoons raw honey

2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon Ponzu sauce

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place all dressing ingredients in the bowl of a bar blender or food processor. Puree until completely smooth. Transfer to a large canning jar, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Shake well before each use.

~ Nori Sesame Sprinkle ~

3 sheets toasted nori seaweed

2 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1 teaspoon sugar

pinch of coarse sea salt

Break nori into small pieces. Grind them in a clean coffee grinder until powdery. Transfer to a small canning jar and toss with the sesame seeds, sugar and salt. Cover tightly and keep in a cool, dry place until ready to use. This is a wonderful condiment served on salads, soups, steamed/grilled fish, or on avocado toast!

Enjoy!

~Melissa