Carrot Cucumber Slaw with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Light, cooling and refreshing summer dish to serve, this salad tastes tangy, sweet and perfect. The Vinaigrette with Apple cider vinegar and Extra virgin Olive oil will make your mouth tickle with flavors.

This post is a part of Culinary hoppers blog hop for the month of April. Apart from this post, I have also made 3-way Peanuts Salad for this month's blog hop. This year's summer has been pretty hot for me compared to last year's since I was in Norway at this time. It was -5 degrees and I was taking walks on those snow filled streets every chilly morning and evening..Miss it! So, this year, I am trying to find ways to keep us cool and this month's Blog hop theme is apt for this weather.

Cucumber has cooling effects on the body and has numerous health benefits. It keeps our body hydrated, flushes out toxins, supplies skin friendly nutrients, cool the eyes and also aids in weight loss. Carrot is yet another super veggie which posses beta carotene and fiber content. It is rich in anti-oxidants, vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, vitamin B8, pantothenic acid, folate, potassium, iron, copper, and manganese.
(Source: Health Benefits of Carrots)

The Apple cider Vinaigrette compliments the cucumber and carrot with perfect tangy, salty and sweet flavors.This is simple yet tasty salad which gets done in minutes with nothing to prep beforehand.

Nutritional Information  (Approx) (per serving)
Energy	84.6		Calories
Fat	7.2		%
Carbohydrates	5.1		%
Dietary Fiber	1.6		%
Sodium	23		mg
Vitamin A	74.8		%
Vitamin C	8.4		%
Calcium	2.4		%
Iron	1.7		%
Protein	0.9		Grams
Sugar	2.8		Grams

Ingredients (Makes 2 servings)
Cucumber	1 medium
Carrot	1 medium
Apple cider Vinegar	1/4 cup
Extra virgin olive oil	1/2 cup
Salt	to taste
Pepper powder	1/2 teaspoon
Garlic Pods chopped finely	1 teaspoon
Coriander leaved	for garnish

Grate Carrot and Cucumber separately. Drain them on paper towels.

For Vinaigrette, whisk together Olive oil, ACV, Garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk till the oil and vinegar are combined. Chill in refrigerator till it's time to serve.

In a bowl, mix carrot and cucumber grated. When it is time to serve, add the vinaigrette and give a stir. Garnish the coriander leaves, serve and enjoy!

* You can replace ACV with white wine Vinegar.
* Garlic is completely optional.
* You can also add grated green chillies and shallots to the vinaigrette.
* For a creamy vinaigrette, add Dijon mustard.

Check out these links for a refreshing journey with wonderful salads prepared by amazing, talented bloggers. Each post is uniquely distinct and dainty for this summer.

Vani's Lebanese tabbouleh salad
http://marudhuskitchen.com/www/lebanese-tabbouleh-salad-marudhuskitchen/

Piyali's Grilled vegetable pasta salad
http://mytrystwithfoodandtravel.blogspot.in/2016/04/grilled-vegetable-pasta-salad-with.html

Anu's Roasted sweet potato salad bowl with greek yogurt dressing
http://easybitesonline.com/roasted-sweet-potato-salad-bowl-with-greek-yogurt-dressing/
AND
Greek Yogurt Dressing With Parsley
http://easybitesonline.com/greek-yogurt-dressing-parsley/

Poornima's 3-way Peanuts Salad
http://poorniseasycookbook.blogspot.in/2016/04/3-way-peanuts-salad.html
AND
Carrot Cucumber Slaw with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
http://poorniseasycookbook.blogspot.in/2016/04/carrot-cucumber-slaw-with-apple-cider.html

Padma's
Black Eyed Pea Quinoa Salad in Endive Boats
http://www.masalakorb.com/black-eyed-pea-quinoa-salad-in-endive-boats/
AND
Fennel Citrus Salad with Minted Strawberries & Kiwi
http://www.masalakorb.com/fennel-citrus-salad-strawberries-kiwi/

Jayashree's Watermelon and Cucumber salad
http://www.evergreendishes.com/2016/04/12/watermelon-cucumber-salad/

Shubha's Thai Salad with Peanut butter dressing
http://www.shubhaskitchen.com/2016/04/thai-salad-with-peanut-butter-dressing.html

Swati's Roasted cauliflower chickpea and couscous salad
http://www.letscookhealthytonight.com/roasted-cauliflower-chickpea-and-couscous-salad/

Shobana's Corn Salad
http://shobasdelight.blogspot.in/2016/04/corn-salad.html

3-way Peanuts Salad

Different textures, nutty, tasty and healthy, this 3-way Peanut Salad is refreshing and perfect complement to any meal.

This post is a part of Culinary hoppers blog hop for the month of April. The theme being Salads, proved to be both easy and difficult. Easy to prepare and post but difficult to choose. Anyway, I have chosen Peanut salad made 3-ways and the recipe is my own. I have also decided to make Carrot Cucumber Slaw with Apple Cider Vinaigrette and the recipe is one of my kitchen experiments too. To start off with the reason of my choice of these two salads, peanuts are my family favorite. The most favorite is cooked peanut chat and I planned to improvise on that dish to this delicious and healthy salad.

3-way peanut salad has three types of peanuts; Cooked, sprouted and roasted accompanied by grated carrot that compliments all three types of peanuts. Since this is a salad post, I want to introduce you all to these amazing health benefits of Peanuts eaten raw, cooked, sprouted or roasted. Peanuts are rich in monounsaturated fat content and feature an array of nutrients like vitamin E, niacin, folate, protein and manganese. Regular consumption promotes heart health.

Peanuts are also listed as one of the World's healthiest foods. They are rich in Antioxidants, folic acid, phytic acid and resveratrol which has anti-cancer effects. With so many health benefits, there are also few concerns. A lot of people are allergic to peanuts and it is important to realize that the reactions differ from person to person. Also, if you check the nutritional value of this salad, you will see that the nutrition you can get is great. The only thing to plan is the peanut sprout for which you have to soak peanuts a day before. Since the salad tastes great , I have decided to make it regularly. Hope you find it tasty too.

Nutritional Information  (Approx) (per serving)
Energy	120.3		Calories
Fat	8.9		%
Carbohydrates	7.6		%
Dietary Fiber	2.5		%
Sodium	126.1		mg
Vitamin A	36.7		%
Vitamin C	10.5		%
Calcium	1.9		%
Iron	2.5		%
Protein	4.8		Grams
Sugar	1.8		Grams

Ingredients (Makes 6 servings)
Peanuts	5 tablespoons
Carrot grated	1
Coriander leaves chopped	a handful
Salt	to taste
Pepper powder	1/2 teaspoon
Lemon juice	of 1 whole lemon

Wash and soak 2 tablespoons of peanuts overnight. Drain the water and tie them in a wet muslin cloth for about 12 hours or more. The sprouts will appear.

Soak another 2 tablespoons of peanuts for about 3-4 hours. Pressure cook with salt water for 3 whistles.

Drain the salt water and let it cool completely.

Dry roast the remaining 1 tablespoon of peanuts till they turn brown and start popping into halves. Remove from flame and let it cool completely.

Remove the skin from peanuts once they have cooled down completely.

In a bowl, Mix together sprouts, cooked peanuts and carrot. Add Salt, pepper powder, chopped coriander leaves and mix well.

When it's time to serve, add lemon juice and give it a mix. It's important not to add lemon juice before the time to serve since carrot will leave water and soak the whole salad.

In a serving bowl, add the salad, top it up with some roasted peanuts and serve.

* You can add grated/chopped cucumber along with the grated carrots though make sure to drain the cucumber water before adding.
* If you like it a little spicy, you can add some grated green chillies too. Addition of onion and tomato along with green chillies will make this dish a great chaat.

Check out these links for a refreshing journey with wonderful salads prepared by amazing, talented bloggers. Each post is uniquely distinct and dainty for this summer.

Vani's Lebanese tabbouleh salad
http://marudhuskitchen.com/www/lebanese-tabbouleh-salad-marudhuskitchen/

Piyali's Grilled vegetable pasta salad
http://mytrystwithfoodandtravel.blogspot.in/2016/04/grilled-vegetable-pasta-salad-with.html

Anu's Roasted sweet potato salad bowl with greek yogurt dressing
http://easybitesonline.com/roasted-sweet-potato-salad-bowl-with-greek-yogurt-dressing/
AND
Greek Yogurt Dressing With Parsley
http://easybitesonline.com/greek-yogurt-dressing-parsley/

Poornima's 3-way Peanuts Salad
http://poorniseasycookbook.blogspot.in/2016/04/3-way-peanuts-salad.html
AND
Carrot Cucumber Slaw with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
http://poorniseasycookbook.blogspot.in/2016/04/carrot-cucumber-slaw-with-apple-cider.html

Padma's
Black Eyed Pea Quinoa Salad in Endive Boats
http://www.masalakorb.com/black-eyed-pea-quinoa-salad-in-endive-boats/
AND
Fennel Citrus Salad with Minted Strawberries & Kiwi
http://www.masalakorb.com/fennel-citrus-salad-strawberries-kiwi/

Jayashree's Watermelon and Cucumber salad
http://www.evergreendishes.com/2016/04/12/watermelon-cucumber-salad/

Shubha's Thai Salad with Peanut butter dressing
http://www.shubhaskitchen.com/2016/04/thai-salad-with-peanut-butter-dressing.html

Swati's Roasted cauliflower chickpea and couscous salad
http://www.letscookhealthytonight.com/roasted-cauliflower-chickpea-and-couscous-salad/

Shobana's Corn Salad
http://shobasdelight.blogspot.in/2016/04/corn-salad.html