Snow Pea Carrot Salad with Mint Green Tea Vinaigrette

This Thai-inspired Snow Pea Carrot Salad with Mint Green Tea Vinaigrette is easy as 1, 2, 3—and it’s oh-so-special thanks to this flavorful vinaigrette. The astringency of green tea and freshness of mint come together to brighten up an Asian style vinaigrette, with ginger and red chili for a balance of sweet and spicy. The secret of any good vinaigrette is to balance a fat with sour, sweet, spicy, and savory flavors. So, teas can really work well by creating a flavorful and light vinaigrette. All you have to do is make a very strong tea brew by steeping tea in a smaller amount of water, then mix in your other ingredients. This is one trick I’ve used with other types of teas, like rose tea in my Flower Power Salad with Rose Vinaigrette. In this vinaigrette recipe, I use mint green tea bags, which are easily found in most markets. Green tea is a traditional beverage in many Asian countries, and linked with health benefits. In Japan, I’ve observed the green tea beverage tradition first hand, and people really do drink this anti-inflammatory beverage all day long. Some green tea products add mint for an extra bit of flavor, so look for a good tea to inspire this recipe. And enjoy the leftovers in a healthy beverage later on.

This salad is paired with crisp snow peas, crunchy carrots, nutty peas, and earthy greens—wonderful Asian ingredients you’ll find in many traditional dishes. But they work well in a fusion Western-style salad that will soon become your favorite! All you have to do is make up your vinaigrette (make up extra to enjoy later!), then toss together chopped greens, shredded carrots, snow peas, and peanuts.

This salad is pretty, aromatic, crunchy, and satisfying. I love to serve it as a side to a veggie-burger, lentil stew, and vegan BLTA sandwich. Plus, it’s really impressive at a party or potluck. You can make this salad more satisfying by stirring in cubed tofu, white beans, or tempeh slices, too.

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Description

This Thai-inspired Snow Pea Carrot Salad with Mint Green Tea Vinaigrette is easy as 1, 2, 3—and it’s oh-so-special thanks to this flavorful vinaigrette, which calls upon the astringency of green tea and freshness of mint.

Mint Green Tea Vinaigrette:

Salad:

  • 4 cups chopped greens (i.e., kale, collard, spinach, arugula)
  • 2 medium (about 3.5 ounces each) carrots, shredded
  • 8 ounces fresh snow peas, cut in half
  • 1/4 cup peanuts
  1. To make vinaigrette: Steep teabags in hot water in a small dish for about 1 hour. Squeeze tea out of tea bags. Whisk in sesame seed oil, agave syrup ginger, crushed red pepper, and a pinch of salt (optional). Drizzle with red hot chili oil, if desired.
  2. To make salad: Toss together greens, shredded carrots and snow peas in a large salad bowl. Toss in vinaigrette. Sprinkle with peanuts. Serve immediately.

  3. Makes 8 servings (about 1 1/4 cups each).

  • Category: Salad
  • Cuisine: Asian, American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 1/4 cup (with dressing)
  • Calories: 93
  • Sugar: 2 g
  • Sodium: 27 mg
  • Fat: 6 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 9 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Protein: 3 g

Keywords: vegan salad, easy salad, healthy vegan salad

For other flavorful, plant-based salads, check out some of my favorites:

Purple Cauliflower Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Southwestern Black Bean, Quinoa, and Mango Salad
Chickpea Tabbouleh

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