Macadamia Nut and Enoki Salad with Ginger Sesame Vinaigrette

While I am by no means a food expert, it is rare that I find a new ingredient that gets my juices flowing.

It has been a long time since I used a new ingredient and really fell in love with it.

I guess it’s not really that odd that I had never been exposed to enoki mushrooms. It’s not like I grew up having them in our family favorites.

But these little suckers are damn tasty. They have a great little texture, have a great natural flavor and also hold seasoning really well.

When I threw this salad together, I didn’t think it was going to be a real winner, but this little guy knocked my socks off.

You will need…

½ cup macadamia nuts, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

8 cups baby greens or mesclun

3-ounce package enoki mushrooms, trimmed and separated

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 large garlic clove, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by toasting the nuts and seeds together over a medium high heat in a large pan. Heat them until they become fragrant and slightly browned. About 5 minutes.

Toss together the greens, mushrooms, seeds and nuts.

In a food processor, blend together the vinegars, soy sauce, honey, fresh ginger, garlic and sesame oil. Blend until completely combined.

Drizzle over the salad, toss and serve.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela