Colorful Chopped Thai Salad With Peanut Dressing

Make this extra colorful Chopped Thai Salad tonight! Edamame, kale, and bell peppers are just a few of the ingredients in this yummy salad drizzled with a delicious peanut dressing.

Don’t you just love to eat the rainbow? I mean all those colors make you feel good and not only that, but you also know that you are eating clean. Really clean — and isn’t that our healthy lifestyle goal? A rainbow of fresh, colorful, and power-packed veggies chopped into one bowl spells goodness. Simple goodness that tastes fantastic! Like a flavor explosion in every bite.

Is this salad easy to make? Yes. Do the flavors make you want to make it again and again? Yes. I promise you’re gonna LOVE this recipe. So let’s not wait any longer, right?

Is Thai Chopped Salad Healthy?

Thai Chopped Salad is definitely healthy. Edamame is a great vegan protein source, with 8.5 grams of protein per cup. They give the salad a unique flavor too. And kale, what can I say? Kale is nutrient dense with tons of vitamins like A, K, and C in amounts that blow the RDA’s out of the water! Kale is a powerful antioxidant as well. Besides these two nutritional ingredients, you’ve got peppers, carrots, and more.

The dressing has components like olive oil, garlic, and raw honey. Ginger is an ingredient that offers incredible benefits – so adding ginger to a recipe is a win in my books. Need I say more? This recipe is a really healthy salad!

What's In Chopped Thai Salad?

Let’s break down what’s in this super tasty dish so you can see what you need to make it. The great thing is that most (if not all) of these ingredients are already in your fridge or pantry.

• Kale: This Chopped Thai Salad serves three and has 4 cups of kale. So you know it’s a meal in itself and an amazingly good one at that. 
• Frozen shelled edamame: The goodness of edamame is easy to see in that it’s protein-packed and may offer benefits like lowering cholesterol and possibly reducing bone loss, particularly in post-menopausal women. 
• Carrots: Carrots are a wonderful source of phytochemicals that are beneficial to good health. They are an anti-inflammatory meal prep food too.
• Bell peppers: I love the crunch and color that bell peppers add. Not to mention the vitamin C!
• Red cabbage: Red cabbage provides fiber to help the digestive system work like a charm. Fiber is pretty important-->Top Foods High In Fiber.
• Cilantro leaves: Cilantro is full of vitamins and even calcium.
• Green onions: I love the bite that green onions provide!
• Cucumber: Cucumber not only provides a great taste but also has lots of water, which adds to your hydration levels. It’s a good idea to get as much water as you can every day.

The dressing is a combination of these savory ingredients:

• Olive oil
• Garlic
• Soy sauce
• Rice vinegar
• Raw honey
• Sesame oil
• Fresh ginger
• Peanut butter
• Lime juice
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• Chopped peanuts for topping

What Are Some Good Substitutions In A Chopped Thai Salad?

If you have dietary restrictions, allergies, or just want to switch up the flavor a tad, it’s possible:

• If you are not a fan of kale, you can replace it with a mixture of crispy romaine and chopped green cabbage. This goes well with the red cabbage in the recipe.
• Can’t have peanuts? Top this Chopped Thai Salad with pepitas, sunflower seeds, or roasted chickpeas. Replace the peanut butter with sunflower seed butter or tahini sauce.
• If you follow a vegan diet, substitute the raw honey for pure maple syrup.
• Soy sauce can be switched to Worcestershire sauce or coconut aminos sauce.
• If you want a little fruity punch, add mango. It’s a little subtle and at the same time definitely adds a sweet touch.
• If someone in your family is not keen on edamame, diced cooked chicken goes very well.
• Some people like to add fish sauce to the peanut dressing since Thai food is famous for the addition of fish sauce. Personal preference!

How Do I Make The Homemade Peanut Dressing?

Follow these steps to make the homemade peanut dressing. It’s quick to do and the smack and spice are tremendous!

• Get your blender ready to go.
• Add the olive oil to the blender.
• Peel the garlic cloves and toss them in.
• Next, come the soy sauce, vinegar, honey, and sesame oil.
• Add the fresh ginger.
• Place the peanut butter and the fresh lime next.
• Top with crushed red pepper flakes.
• Set the blender to purée and blend till smooth. 
• Give it a taste – it’ll be perfect!

Tips For The Best Chopped Thai Salad

• Blending the peanut sauce: Depending on the peanut butter you are using, it may be sometimes hard to blend. You can heat it a little in the microwave (a few seconds will do) before adding it to the blender to make it more liquid-like.
• Tasty variations: Cashew butter and chopped cashews for topping also work well.
• Mason jar salad: Are you into meal prep? Make a mason jar salad by putting the peanut sauce on the bottom, the edamame next, the chopped veggies next, and the kale last. When you serve, add the peanuts.
• Make ahead: If you’d like to make the salad ahead of time, do so. It stores well in the fridge. The veggie mix can be stored in an airtight container. Store the peanut dressing separately in another container or jar. The peanuts should always be added at the time of serving only.

More Healthy Salad Recipes

I’m sure this Chopped Thai Salad has put you in the mood for more. Try one of these next!

• Healthy Broccoli Salad With Greek Yogurt Dressing
• Chicken Cobb Mason Jar Salad
• Quinoa Lentil Salad With Lemon Vinaigrette
• Springtime Cobb Salad With Raspberry Vinaigrette
• Turkey Taco Lunch Bowl

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