Friday, March 9, 2012

Lovin' me some Voodoo salad...

So, the hubby and I are on a mission to be healthier; part of this whole endeavour includes eating at home more. Now, I love eating out. I know a big part of that is that I don't have to cook. However, I've talked myself into learning to cook better and eating at home more by trying some of my restaurant favorites. And I have to share this one, because it's so ridiculously good!


When we got home from our trip to Utah for Christmas, one of the first recipes I wanted to try was a new favorite at the fantabulous Rumbi Grill -- the Voodoo Chicken Salad. Oh, this is one of the best salads! I found the original recipe on the local Utah ABC channel website (from the CEO of Rumbi Grill himself!), and I've adjusted some of the ingredients (it called for chili paste, but the paste I found made it too spicy, and I thought the dressing was more sweet) as well as cut the recipe down to a quarter. This dressing makes 1 1/2 cups and is good for about six to eight salads.

1 TB Dijon mustard
1 TB lime juice
1 TB chili sauce (look for the sweeter kind)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
a little less than 1/2 cup sesame oil
2 TB rice vinegar
2 TB soy sauce
1/2 cup white sugar
1 TB minced garlic
1 TB and 1 tsp pureed ginger (I found this in the produce section)

Place all ingredients except ginger in a bowl and mix with electric mixer for about 1 1/2 minutes. Add the ginger and whisk until fully mixed.

I stored the leftovers in an empty dressing bottle, and it has stayed good for at least two months now. It might last longer, except I finish it up before that. :)

For the salad, start with some mixed lettuce (we like iceburg and Romaine), then top with diced tomatoes and feta cheese. Grill up some chicken (Rumbi Grill has jerk chicken, but I also like chicken marinated in Lawry's Hawaiian sauce) and fry up some corn tortilla strips; drizzle on dressing and welcome to salad heaven. Yummmmmm... Enjoy!