Joanna Gaines' Crunchy-Sweet Asian Salad is Easy to Love
There’s a lot to love about this simple salad from Joanna Gaines’ new cookbook, Magnolia Table, Volume 2. It pairs fresh, spring lettuce with pantry staples for a quick, light starter or easy lunch. “The toasted almonds—tossed with honey and then coated with sesame seeds—are the real stars here,” says Gaines. “They’re delicious enough on their own that I like to make an extra half-batch to snack on.”
Related: One-Skillet Chicken Florentine from Joanna Gaines' New Cookbook
To elevate this to main-dish status, just add cooked chicken or shrimp, or seared beef.
Related: 30 Best Summer Salad Recipes
[From Magnolia Table, Volume 2 by Joanna Gaines. Copyright ? 2020 by Joanna Gaines. Reprinted by permission of William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.]
Joanna Gaines' Crunchy-Sweet Asian Salad Recipe
Ingredients
? cup rice vinegar
1 Tbsp light brown sugar
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp water
? tsp kosher salt
Dressing
Combine all ingredients in a screw-top jar; shake to combine.
Salad
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a sheet pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, toss almonds and olive oil. Add honey and coarse salt; toss to combine. Spread almonds evenly on sheet pan. Roast 12 minutes or until toasted, stirring every 2–3 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with sesame seeds; stir to coat. Let stand 10 minutes. Break up any clumps of almonds.
Drain mandarins, reserving liquid. Spread mandarins on a paper towel to absorb excess moisture. Add reserved liquid to dressing in jar; shake well.
In a large bowl, combine lettuce, mandarins, almonds and chow mein noodles. Drizzle with ? cup dressing; toss to coat. Serve with remaining dressing on the side. (Refrigerate leftover dressing in an airtight container up to 5 days.)
