Loaded up with crunchy veggies, chow mein pasta, edamame and roasted cashews, it'll make you ACTUALLY WANT TO EAT A SALAD! Sesame dressing – OMG!

Let me fire you a question and you can tell me what it's called: you want something that tastes damned good… but it's also basically a high pile of fresh, vibrant, feel good in your body vegetables. That's what you call it, you call it Cashiew Crunch Salad.

This Salad Is Checking All the Boxes.

Lunch rolls around and my internal conversation goes like this:

• I'm hungry.
• What would taste so tasty right now?
• Well then, no, wait, what would really be super healthy right now? Let's face it: because…mocha peanut butter pie?
• No, and what would really fill me up?
• WAIT WAIT WAIT WHAT ABOUT THAT SALAD WITH SESAME DRESSING THAT IS FLAVORTASTIC, AND HEALTHY, AND FULL OF SO FAR FRIENDLY FAT AND GOOD STUFF AND MAKES ME FULL?
• Yes! I love salad!
• I love vegetables!
• I love life!

That is actually an actual transcript of my internal dialogue. These are the terms I think in: though it tastes amazing, mostly healthy, and still fills me up.

Ingredients For This Salad – Let's Discuss.

This mix up might be great for the dressing.

It's a sweet, oil and vinegar dressing you shake up in a jar, sweetened a bit with a little sugar, seasoned just a bit with a little sesame oil, … if you are me, then creamified with a dollop of Greek yogurt or mayo. A vinaigrette drenched salad just isn't for me, even if it makes me full. All I really need is some more creaminess in my salads, so I just creamed up my favorite retro dressing (gotta love Kim Harcey from my old First Baptist Church cookbook ♡) a teeny bit.

And the rest of what's a lot of crunch here. Crunchy veggies, crunchy cashews, crunchy chow mein noodles. I mean, chow mein noodles were so absolutely retro. I love this for us so much.

Make This Salad Your Way

• For non vegans – drop the creamy stuff!
• Gluten free-ers, here's what to leave out: the crunchy chow mein noodles!
• If you're a protein lover then add some grilled chicken! Or shrimp! Or… I don't know, tofu?! This makes this a dinner entree salad with juicy grilled chicken cut across the top.

This would be my lunch for the rest of the summer, and I wouldn't be sad.

Gooooo team vegetables!