What a weekend. Some friends of ours few into town from Austin. We had a great time catching up and showing them around the KC area.  The great cool down finally hit KC and made it perfect to ride bikes to our favorite restaurants.  We also ventured to Weston, MO, where we had fabulous brew in a century old Irish brewery tucked 4 stories BELOW ground.  It’s dank and musty and serves up a perfect pint of local brews.

Sunday brought warmer temps in the upper 90s. We found relief from the heat by checking out the Negro League Baseball Museum in the 18th and Vine district. If you are ever in the KC area, I highly recommend the museum.

We also were able to grill and cook some good food over the weekend. I made this great salad, which basically is a deconstructed version of thai spring rolls. The recipe is inspired by Mark Bittman’s Summer Rolls from the Food Matters Cookbook. This recipe was chosen by Alyssa of Every Day Maven as part of the Food Matters Project. It has been over six months since the beginning of the Food Matter’s Project, which consists of a group of food bloggers choosing recipes from Mark Bittman’s huuuuge, 500+ recipe cookbook “The Food Matters Cookbook” and cooking through them. 

I absolutely adore the freshness of well made spring rolls. The fresh cilantro and basil make the dish.  The herby salad is served with a thai-inspired dressing that contains almond butter instead of peanut butter.  Feel free to sub peanut butter instead, if you do not have any peanut allergies. This salad is quick and fresh and can be topped with shrimp or chicken for a complete meal.

The thai dressing would also be great for dipping. Add water after mixing all the ingredients. I found that after refigerating the sauce for a day, I had to add a few tablespoons of water to make it more of a dressing consistency. 

Spring Roll Salad with Thai Dressing (Gluten Free, Grain Free, Dairy Free)

Thai Dressing Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons almond butter
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup coconut milk (full fat or light)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 to 3 tablespoons of water (add one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency)

Spring Roll Salad Ingredients:

• 6 cups lettuce, chopped
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 4 green onions, green and white parts chopped
• 1/2 cup sweet bell peppers, chopped
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/4 cup chopped roasted cashews
• sesame seeds

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl whisk all dressing ingredients together until smooth. Place in a container and refrigerate.
2. Add all the salad ingredients, except avocado and cashews, into a large bowl. Toss until all ingredients are well mixed. Top with diced avocados, sesame seeds, and diced cashews. Serve each salad with 2 tablespoons of sauce.