I spent my birthday eve morning trekking up the Mt Whitney Trail foraging for wild berries for breakfast. The pup and I snacked on wild elderberries, chock full of vitamin C. I noshed on some Mountain Gooseberries and shoved some ripe currants at my face as I dreamt about the best scones I’ve ever had in my life. Man, I could kill for a currant scone from Mark’s and Spencers in London right now!
But is there anywhere on earth I would rather be other than the eastern Sierra for my birthday week? I truly don’t think so! Forget crowded Disneyland; To me, the Eastern Sierra is the happiest place on earth!
The night before we were going to trek to the top of Mt Whitney I had a light and healthy summer salad planned for our dinner. We had plans to have dinner extremely early, we were done eating and the motorhome kitchen was clean by four thirty p.m. By five p.m. I was relaxing on the couch watching VEEP, oh shit, no this was reality! As the DNC blared from the screen of our motorhome, man was Kamala Harris making me crave a cocktail. Every time Joe Biden says “Look folks” or Kamala cackles, I should be taking a shot but not with Mt Whitney on the horizon!
During a crazy summer heat wave here in the Owens Valley of California we have been having a fancy salad almost every night for dinner we have been camped here in Lone Pine. I roasted the nuts for this salad creation and blended up the Thai Peanut Dressing before I left home on our motorhome vacation a few days ago. All I had to do to prep our camper’s delight dinner was chop the veggies and throw everything together. (Instead of marinating the chicken for this particular salad, we used leftover game hens we had roasted on the rotisserie at home a few days prior)
This is such a light and healthy early spring salad creation, no matter where your hiking journeys take you! You can also do this salad with skirt steak marinated in 2 teaspoons each, fish sauce, soy, sesame and garlic ginger.
Thai Chicken Salad with Konjac Noodles & Peanut Ginger sauce
1 pound chicken thighs
Konjac noodles
1 yellow mango, peeled and sliced
1 cup coleslaw cabbage
1 cup chopped romaine
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, sliced
1/4 cup radish sprouts
3 teaspoons fresh mint, chopped
3 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup Candied Gochujang Almonds
Pickled Thai Ginger Dressing
3 teaspoons pickled ginger
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup sesame oil
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon water
2 teaspoons lime juice
Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a Nutri-bullet until smooth. Set half the dressing aside and use this to marinade your chicken thighs. Marinate the chicken thighs at least three hours, then grill and set aside while you toss the rest of the salad together in a big bowl. At the end, garnish with the fresh mint, basil leaves and Gochujang Candied Nuts.
