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Sunday, March 25, 2012

Carrot-Ginger Salad

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I went in search of a quick and easy side dish using ingredients I already had on hand. All You Magazine more than delivered with this Carrot-Ginger salad recipe, because I think I've found my new favorite side dish. Recipes like this make me so thankful for recipe developers at magazines (talk about a fun job!), because this isn't a combination I would have immediately thought to put together and yet it worked so perfectly!
Be sure and use fresh ginger and cilantro--both flavors popped amongst the other ingredients. Although the original recipe called for dried cranberries and golden raisins, I used regular raisins and the dried berry mixture that I used in these wheat germ muffins. You can't really go wrong with any combination of dried fruit. I will definitely be making large batches of this for summer bbqs. It would also be a fantastic side at your Easter brunch.
By the way, that isn't a bag of potato ships in the picture above. We had it with the new ParchmentBake fish from Mrs. Paul's and Van de Kamp's, another Foodbuzz Tastemakers. It's been awhile since we've had fish for dinner, so I was excited about the free samples. These make preparing fish at home so easy...literally just pop the packets in the oven for 25 minutes and you're ready to go. We tried the Garlic Butter flavor which came in a bit of sauce (other flavors are classic grilled, roasted garlic, and lemon pepper). Overall, I was really impressed with the product. You never would've guessed it was a frozen meal and it came in the ideal amount of sauce, not too much or too little. I'm not sure these would be an every week item on my grocery list, but they're perfect for busy weeks when I don't have much time to prep dinner!
Interested in trying your own ParchmentBake? Get a Buy One, Get One Free coupon (while supplies last) here! If you give it a try, I'll be curious to know what you think! Same goes for the salad, which I can't recommend enough!

One Year Ago: Broiled Tilapia Gyros
Two Years Ago: Portabella Pita Pizzas

Carrot-Ginger Salad
from All You August 2011


Ingredients:
for the salad-
-1/2 cup slivered almonds
-1/2 cup golden raisins
-1/2 cup dried cranberries
-1 lb carrots, shredded
-1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro (called for 2 tbsp but I added more)

for the dressing-
-1/3 cup rice vinegar
-2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
-2 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp pepper
-1 tsp sugar
-1/2 cup canola oil

Directions:
1. Place the almonds in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until light golden (5-10 minutes). Set aside to cool. Once cooled, toss in a large bowl with dried cranberries, raisins, cilantro, and carrots.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Add to carrot mixture (don't add all at once--decide how heavily dressed you want it) and toss to evenly coat vegetables. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving (can be made up to 1 day ahead of time). Add almonds just before serving.