Firecracker Spinach Salad with Orange Sesame Dressing

Firecracker Spinach Salad with Orange Sesame Dressing Epicurious | August 2006
Cal-a-Vie Living: Gourmet Spa Cuisine

Editor's note: The recipe below is excerpted from Cal-a-Vie Living: Gourmet Spa Cuisine and is part of a healthy and delicious spa menu developed exclusively for Epicurious by Cal-a-Vie.

This salad was inspired by Chef Dave Armour in 1989 and can be prepared with any lettuce. We like to add hoisin-crusted shrimp to this, just warm enough to wilt the spinach, and, of course, some homemade bread hot out of the oven.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
Orange Sesame Dressing
1 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon honey
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce (optional)
1 shallot, chopped
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

Salad
6 cups washed baby spinach
1/4 cup daikon sprouts
1/4 cup julienned carrot
1/4 cup julienned jicama
2 tablespoons mixture of black sesame seeds and white sesame seeds, for garnish
preparation

1. For the dressing, cook the orange juice in a saucepan until reduced by half. Combine with the honey, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, water and hot sauce in a blender. Add the shallot and ginger and process until smooth. Store in the refrigerator.

2. For the salad, mix the spinach, daikon sprouts, carrot and jicama in large bowl. Add the dressing and toss to coat well. Garnish with the sesame seeds.

Chef's notes:
• Just as this salad can be made with mixed greens or whatever lettuce you have on hand rather than with spinach, any kind of sprouts can be substituted for the daikon sprouts.
• If you like a thicker consistency for your salad dressings, add a quarter of a teaspoon of xanthan gum powder to the dressing and pulse in a blender.

nutritional information
nutrition per serving: 111 calories, 14 g carbohydrates, 4 g protein, 5 g fat, 2 g fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, 298 mg sodium
Nutritional analysis provided by Cal-a-Vie Living: Gourmet Spa Cuisine
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