A winning Thai salad
Lesley Dalke adds a twist to classic dish with some amazingly flavorful layers
Lesley Dalke lends a Thai-inspired spin to the classic layered salad.
Served in a trifle bowl to better see the bands of mixed greens, veggies, chicken and crispy wonton strips, it’s one of her favorites. She drizzles the dish with homemade honey-lime vinaigrette and homemade peanut sauce for extra flavor.
“You’ve got that tang. You’ve got that sweetness. And the peanut sauce is really strong. A little dab will do you,” said Dalke, 56.
The culinary arts teacher at West Valley High School likes experimenting with recipes during summer and other breaks from school, often adding her own, sometimes ethnically inspired twists.
She makes her layered Thai-flavored salad at home several times a year. It’s also become a staple of her spring semester culinary arts class. At school, she leaves out the peanut sauce because of nut allergies.
In her submission to The Spokesman-Review’s monthly “In the Kitchen with … ” feature, Dalke wrote: “I love this recipe because it is light and refreshing, healthy as well as nutritious and very versatile.”
The salad can be adapted for vegetarians by leaving out the chicken or changed to accommodate seasonal or favorite ingredients.
“You could do corn. If you don’t like onion, you could leave it out. If you are vegetarian, you could add legumes. Edamame would be wonderful,” she said. “That’s what I like about it: the versatility.”
Dalke served a similar salad at the Spokane restaurant she used to own. In fact, she said it was one of the most popular menu items at the old Scalawag’s Restaurant on West Indiana Avenue, which she owned for a couple of years.
“I loved the customers,” Dalke said. But at the same time, she also missed teaching, which she’s done for 21 years, not including the two-year break she took to run her restaurant.
She’s taught beginning and advanced foods at West Valley for seven years now.
Dalke has 23 to 34 students in each of her five sections. She also advises her school’s chapter of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, or FCCLA.
“They come in and they get to try something out and they’re excited,” Dalke said. “I get so much joy out of that.”
She encourages her students and other novice cooks to “play around with flavors.” She also stresses the importance of healthy eating, especially getting enough fruits and vegetables. And she offers tips like using small plates to help with portion control.
“They say 70 calories will satisfy a craving,” Dalke said.
To help illustrate her points, she shows students a photograph of herself from 2004 when she weighed 277 pounds. Today, she’s a slim 117. “I’ve had to learn to make better choices.”
When it comes to her Thai-inspired salad, Dalke offers this tip: “Put the salad dressing on the side and dip into it; you’re not going to use as much.”
Dalke created her zesty version of the classic layered salad nearly three years ago for a magazine cooking contest. In her YouTube video entry for Taste of Home, she recommends serving the salad for Mother’s Day. The mother of four and grandmother of nine also dons sunglasses and a side-turned baseball cap – and raps.
She didn’t go to culinary school.
“I am not a chef,” Dalke said. “I didn’t even do home ec in school. I just love to cook. I love baking. All my best memories in life have involved food. We celebrate with food. Birthdays. Anniversaries.”
Dalke shares favorite recipes as well as what her students are up to at lesleydalke.blogspot.com. She started her “Cooking in the Classroom” blog about two years ago and tries to post about once a week.
Cooking, Dalke said, is “a great equalizer between kids who struggle or maybe do sports and the honor society kids. They all come up to me and say, ‘Hey, Miss D, will you sample this?’ They can come from a tough situation and somebody likes what they made and it makes their day.”
She takes a creative yet practical approach to cooking and wants students to be able to make something that tastes good – and is good for them – out of pantry items or what they find in the refrigerator.
“I’ll throw a bag of beans on the table and say, ‘How do you cook this, guys?’ ” Dalke said.
Concoctions must be edible.
“Everyone in the class must sample what they’ve made,” she said. “I’ve never had anybody throw up yet. I almost did. With tofu.”
Sometimes, students are sampling ingredients – like tofu – for the first time. Most times, Dalke hopes, they’re having fun while learning.
“That’s what I love about teaching,” she said. “You’re creating memories.”
Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Sauce and Honey-Lime Vinaigrette
From Lesley Dalke of Spokane
For the salad
10 ounces mixed greens
1 cup carrots, julienned
1/2 cup cucumbers, sliced
3 scallions, chopped
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1 cup fried wonton strips, for garnish (optional)
For the vinaigrette
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons honey mustard
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
For the peanut sauce
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 tablespoons hot water
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
Pinch red pepper flakes
Make the salad: In a trifle bowl or other large glass bowl, layer all of the ingredients, except wonton strips.
Make the wonton strips: Cut wonton squares into ½-inch strips. Deep fry until light brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels and season with salt.
Make the vinaigrette: Whisk all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Drizzle over salad. Top salad with wonton strips.
Make the peanut sauce: Stir all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Drizzle over salad. Or, serve peanut sauce on the side.