I recently had a request for a gluten and dairy free recipe. As most of you know by now, bread and cheese are two of my favourite things, but felt that I should expand my horizons and come up with a dish that would accommodate people that have allergies or aversions to these. So, with a few cookbooks in hand, I did some research and I came up with this fresh and simple dish that I haphazardly named "crunchy salad". Once you make it and try it out, you'll understand why I've called it this. As always, this recipe is intended to be a guide for those of you at home. So take it and run with it! Who knows, yours may end up being a whole lot better than mine!

Crunchy Salad

1 english cucumber; diced
1 red pepper; julienned
4 carrots; julienne
1 pkg tofu; diced and fried
½ bunch cilantro; roughly chopped
½ C. basil; roughly chopped
1 C. cashews or peanuts; roughly chopped (optional)
4 scallions; julienne
2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
½ pineapple; large dice
12 x 16/20 shrimp, sauteed (optional)

Mix all the ingredients together with vinaigrette.

Vinaigrette

½ C. canola or grape seed oil
¼ C. sesame oil
½ C. tamari or soy sauce
1 Tbsp white sugar
½ inch ginger; peeled and minced
2 cloves garlic; minced
¼ C. chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp mirin
salt & pepper to taste
2 Tbsp sambal olek (optional)

Whisk together all the ingredients and pour over the salad.