Chinese Edamame Salad

A couple weeks ago, by complete coincidence, I ended up sitting next to my friend on the Northeast Regional Amtrak train toward New York.  Small world!  We had a good conversation with plenty of time to talk about work, life, and food.  She promised to pass along her go-to recipe for Chinese chicken salad (originally made by her aunt) so that I could veganize it.  Well, she did, and I did; so, here we are.

Recipe:     
Chinese Edamame Salad

Dressing

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  

Salad

• 2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 package frozen edamame, prepared according to package instructions
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• Crispy wonton skins or crispy chow mein noodles for garnish
• Mandarin oranges, optional, for garnish

First, prepare the salad dressing by whisking together all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Next, prepare the salad.  Toss together the prepared salad ingredients in a large bowl using salad tongs.

Top individual portions with dressing and serve.

Comments:
Taste:         

This salad was good but not great.The dressing was flavorful--I'm a big fan of rice vinegar--and the different components added varying types of crunch.  Unfortunately, the dressing was a little too salty.  I'll plan to leave the salt out of the dressing next time.  

 Accessibility:      

I couldn't find wonton skins at our usual grocery store, so we bought crispy chow mein noodles instead.  Several ingredients in this salad are on the expensive side; however, we were happy to find larger, less expensive quantities of pre-toasted(!) sesame seeds in the international aisle, as opposed to the more expensive, smaller quantities in the spice aisle. 

 Ease of Preparation:        

Once the salad components are chopped/steamed/toasted, this recipe is as simple as it gets.

Non-vegan friendliness:        

This salad was tasty, but it wasn't quite satisfying as an entrée.  Next time, I'll serve this as a starter course paired with something light yet more substantial for the main dish.