This is a chopped salad for the Fall lovers. It is not juicy and creamy and full of the taste of easy Summer. It is crisp and crunchy, packed with slivered beets and apples, and bold of color and flavor.
When I lived in Sheffield, in the North of England, there was a tree across the street from my apartment that seemed to burst into flames in the Autumn. It was a pleasingly alarming shade of bright crimson red, and it stayed that way, dressed in its bloody seasonal regalia, for ages and ages. I loved that tree.
I suppose this is an homage in salad form to that bright tree, and to all who are trying to burn brightly this season. Except for the canyon fires that are burning near my SoCal home right now. You know who you are, and I’d like you to stop.
So not with the literal burning, please. More like a bold vegetal array, if you know what I mean. Though now that I think on it, that Sheffield tree came with the season of log fires and Bonfire night, in which communities all over the country gather around bonfires, light fireworks, burn effigies, and generally go all in for the literal burning flames. So maybe there is an inevitable edge of the combustible that comes with the bright colors of this season, and nothing I can do to stop it. Might as well enjoy the salad, then.
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- juice of ½ a lime (or lemon)
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon of minced ginger (I grated mine on my microplane grater)
- 2-3 dates, pitted, barely covered in water, and microwaved for 30 seconds to soften
- 1 cup of shredded jicama (or radish)
- 1 apple, thinly sliced
- 1 medium beetroot, thinly sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 2 cups of cabbage, thinly sliced
- ½ cup of shredded carrot
- a small handful of basil, shredded
- a big handful of mint, shredded
- a big handful of lettuce leaves (I used baby lettuce)
- a big handful of shredded cooked chicken
- For the dressing: combine soy, vinegar, lime juice, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and dates with water in a jug and blend with an immersion blender. (Or use a regular blender or food processor)
- For the salad: I used the slicing blade on my food processor to achieve really thin slices of the jicama, apple, beetroot, pepper, and cabbage. If you don't have a processor, you can use a mandoline, or just a good knife. Once everything is chopped and shredded, toss together with the dressing in a large bowl.