Hot Weather Salad

Serves 4.

Ingredients

1 English cucumber, halved and sliced thin
½ red onion shaved thinly
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 red bell peppers, roasted, seeded and cut into strips
1 ripe avocado, cut into medium sized cubes
8 medium sized shitake mushrooms, stems removed
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic chili paste
pinch of sugar to round flavors
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°.

Place mushrooms in a bowl and toss with a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Place on a parchment lined sheet pan and put into oven. Roast for no longer than 5 minutes as they tend to get dried out easy. Let cool and then slice in half.

Toss all the ingredients except the sesame seeds in a large bowl and mix with your hands. I’m big on using your hands as it allows you to feel all the different textures.

Divide salad into four bowls and sprinkle with seeds.