Hearty Asian Lettuce Salad

(Photo from Taste of Home)

Here's another new recipe I tried recently.  This is from the newest Healthy Cooking magazine, and is delicious:  Hearty Asian Lettuce Salad.  Mr. T and I enjoyed this salad so much that I made another one for the potluck lunch at church on Sunday.  It went over very well there, too!

I did leave out the radishes because they just aren't our favorites -- although they would have added to the colorful look of the salad.  If you enjoy radishes, I would recommend adding them.  The second time I made the salad, I used 2 oranges instead of one.

For the dressing, although I did find the sesame ginger dressing the recipe calls for, it was a pricey brand and I could not justify spending $3.38 on a bottle of salad dressing.  After a little bit of internet research and some brainstorming with myself( I only wanted to use items already in my pantry) , I came up with this recipe, which worked admirably:

Dressing for Asian Salads

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

1 to 2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 Tablespoons lime juice

1 Tablespoon Mongolian Fire Oil

Place all ingredients in a small jar with a tight cover.  Make sure cover is tightly screwed on and shake the dressing very well.   Add to salad just before serving.  This would be wonderful for any Asian-type salad.

This is a delicious and very healthy salad.  The combination of rice, nuts, and edamame is what makes it so hearty.