green papaya salad

Another one for summer! Green papaya salad is fresh, crunchy, and perfect for hot summer evenings. It can be a side dish, a condiment on a veggie or fish burger (highly recommended), or a main dish in itself. I like to serve green papaya salad over brown rice and topped with some fried or baked tofu strips for a complete meal. I love meals that are both light and fresh but filling, and this one fits that bill!

green papaya salad

• 1 green papaya, shredded or cut julienne (about 2 cups)
• 1 carrot, shredded or cut julienne
• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
• 1 cup green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

the dressing

• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce, ponzu, or Bragg's amino acids 
• juice from 1/2 lime
• 1/2 tsp chili flakes

serve with

• chopped peanuts

I am so lucky to have already shredded green papaya available at my local farmer's market. It makes it so easy to whip up one of these refreshing salads. But by preparing it yourself you are just putting more love and attention into your food and essentially your body, so either way is a win! This is about 2 cups of shredded, or julienne cut, green papaya, about the equivalent to one medium papaya. If you have a julienne peeler or a mandolin it's as easy as peel, de-seed, and shred! 

Once you have prepared all of your veggies your bowl should look a little something like this: 

Combine all dressing ingredients in a jelly jar and shake to combine. Pour the dressing over your veggies and toss 'em up! You can serve it immediately or let it marinate for up to 30 minutes in the fridge. Top with chopped peanuts and let the crunching begin!