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Summer Thai Salad

So I tried this recipe that we just LOVE and I wanted to share it with you!
It's great for summer and has lots of flavor. I've shared it with some friends & family and they've enjoyed it too. It's pretty easy and makes a lot so you can share it or have it for lunch the next day.
I've adapted this from this blog post: http://pinchofyum.com/chopped-thai-chicken-salad
Her recipe was great but I wanted to make it a little more (southern) American friendly.

Summer Thai Salad

Ingredients
Salad
cooked chicken (however much you prefer. I like mine pan fried, but rotisserie should be good, or boiled)
1 small head cabbage (2 cups shredded) or try napa cabbage
1 large carrot (1 1/2 cups shredded)
1 bell pepper (any color)
1 cup mung bean sprouts (or other sprouts could be substituted)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro (don't substitute parsley, it's not the same, and you need the flavor)
1/2 cup green onions
1/2 cup crushed, roasted peanuts

Dressing
2 large cloves of garlic
1 diced jalapeno (remove seeds and ribs if you want it less spicy)
2 tablespoons soy sauce or liquid aminos
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar or 1 1/2 tablespoons agave
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice or more
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup water - more or less for your desired consistency

Instructions
1. Chop the cabbage into thin pieces.  Grate the carrots. Slice the bell pepper into thin strips. Chop the cilantro and green onions. Toss the chicken and vegetables in a large bowl and keep chilled.
2. Mince the garlic and jalapeno. Place garlic and pepper in a small mixing bowl with the soy sauce, vinegar,
sugar, lime juice, oil, and fish sauce. Whisk until combined. Add the peanut butter and water and whisk again until smooth.
You could also put all the ingredients in a large jar and shake the dressing to mix. 
3. Toss the salad with the dressing. Garnish with the crushed peanuts. Serve chilled. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to two days. For best results, keep the salad and dressing separate until ready to serve.
You may want to use more jalapeno, lime juice or other ingredients. Taste the dressing before mixing it with the salad. Try dipping a vegetable piece in the dressing to get an idea of how it will taste. 
You could also try adding scrambled egg or diced hard boiled egg with or in place of the chicken. 

 Hope you enjoy! This is a favorite for us now. I have a difficult time making typical pad thai but I may start using this dressing recipe (modified) for my pad thai.

Update 1/7/2014: Last night we used the dressing recipe to make pad thai. It turned out pretty good! We used Asian rice noodles, napa cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, cucumber, 2 eggs and cilantro for the base. Then we mixed in the dressing and garnished with peanuts, more cilantro and some sriracha sauce. We decided that next time we'll probably make more of the dressing. Our ratio of sauce to pasta and veggies was a little off. But it turned out good and I took a picture for you. Sorry for the poor quality. It was a great meal for a COLD night!

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