This snappy summer salad is packed with big, bright garden flavours that are perfect for picnics and potlucks. Raw summer salads are crunchy, delicious and a super simple way to dress up your table any time of the year. They’re always a great way to fill Half Your Plate with fruits and vegetables!

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

FOR THE SALAD
1 package of snap peas, 15 ounces or so
a handful of bean sprouts, about 8 ounces
1 red bell pepper, minced
1 large carrot, grated
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 large bunch of cilantro, leaves and tender stems
1 cup of roasted unsalted cashews or peanuts

FOR THE DRESSING
The juice and zest of 3 limes
3 tablespoons of your best olive oil
2 tablespoons of honey
2 tablespoons or so of grated frozen ginger root
1/2 teaspoon of your favourite hot sauce (optional)
1 teaspoon of soya sauce or salt

Procedure

If necessary remove and discard the fibrous ‘string’ that runs along the straight, back edge of each snap pea. Just grab on and tug it loose. Cut each pea into 2 or 3 bite-sized pieces. Toss with the bean sprouts, carrot, red onion, cilantro and cashew.

Whisk together the dressing in a mixing bowl or measure all the ingredients into a mason jar, cover tightly and shake until smooth. Pour over the vegetables and toss the works until evenly dressed. Serve and share!

© Chef Michael Smith – #HalfYourPlate

Variation

One of my all time favourite kitchen tricks is to freeze ginger. Once it’s rock solid it’s very easy to grate into a fine powder with a standard-issue microplane grater. Tightly sealed you can keep frozen ginger indefinitely. Best of all? You don’t need to peel it!