Thai Chicken Salad

I love how Thai food combines things I love like coconut milk, lime and cilantro.  I was craving those flavors and wanted a salad but needed something more substantial than just lettuce so I added some cilantro-lime basmati rice and basically made a chopped Thai salad with peanut sauce on top. It's a keeper!

Cilantro lime rice

Ingredients

• 1 cup of basmati rice prepared per package instructions or in rice cooker
• Juice of one lime
• 1 Tbsp coconut or other vegetable oil
• ½ tsp sea salt
• ½ - 1 bunch of chopped cilantro (depending on how much you like cilantro!)

Instructions

1. Prepare rice according to package directions
2. Mix lime juice, oil and sea salt in a glass
3. Put rice in a large bow, pour lime/oil mixture over it and combine well.
4. Add cilantro and combine again
5. Adjust salt to your liking

Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated or jarred minced ginger
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha (more if you like more kick)

Instructions 

1. Lightly brown the ground chicken over medium heat (3-5 minutes), making sure to crumble the chicken as it cooks; drain excess fat.
2. Stir in garlic and ginger and brown another 2-3 minutes.
3. Stir in soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and Sriracha until well combined. Adjust spice to your liking.
4. Remove from heat. 

Salad

Ingredients

• 1 small carrot, shaved or diced
• 1 small or ½ large cucumber, peeled and diced
• 1 diced red bell pepper
• 1 cup of defrosted edamame
• ½ head of romaine lettuce or napa cabbage, chiffonaded
• ½ cup coconut slivers, toasted (optional garnish)

Instructions

1. Combine the cilantro lime rice and all salad ingredients except coconut slivers in a large bowl.
2. Add the ground chicken and combine well.
3. Serve in large salad bowls and top with homemade or store-bought peanut sauce and toasted coconut slivers

Peanut sauce

• Either buy some or make some. I made mine and it tasted great but didn't really look anything like the peanut sauce I've eaten a million times before!