Can this be meal prepped?

It can! I would suggest storing the cucumber and sauce separately to help preserve the color of your salad and keep everything looking fresh. So if you have a 3 compartment container, place rice or quinoa in one section, the cucumber in another and the veggies and edamame in the last section. Store the sauce in a separate sauce container and combine everything when ready to eat. Personally, I combine everything together and it stays crunchy with no problem, but the purple from the cabbage does leak into the other veggies, which can make them look weird. They taste totally fine, so if you’re visual, separate everything.

How long does this last?

Store the cucumbers, sauce and remaining veggies in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. When serving, toss your veggies and cucumbers together, then pour over with the sauce.

How do you keep the cucumber crispy?

Drawing out excess water from the cucumber can help it stay crispier over time. You can do this by adding some salt and sugar to it and letting the excess moisture draw itself out (think of it kind of like a modified version of pickling).

Spicy Edamame Salad with Smashed Cucumber

Name: Spicy Edamame Salad with Smashed Cucumber
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: Asian Inspired
Ingredients: 1 English or Japanese cucumber; Pinch of Salt & Sugar; 2 cups shredded red cabbage; 1 cup shredded carrots; 2 cups frozen edamame, thawed; 1/8 cup or more cilantro or parsley, roughly chopped; 2 tbsp soy sauce or gluten-free soy sauce; 1-2 tsp toasted sesame oil; 1-2 tsp chili garlic sauce; 1 tbsp lime juice (about one lime) or rice wine vinegar; 1-2 tsp sugar or maple syrup (adjust to taste); 2 stalks of green onions, sliced; 1-2 cloves garlic, grated or crushed with a garlic press; 1 tbsp sesame seeds; 1-2 tsp chili crisp oil, optional (but does give more flavor and heat); Cooked rice or quinoa; Avocado

Description

This Spicy Edamame Salad is tossed together with crunchy cabbage, smashed cucumbers and carrots then drizzled with a sweet and spicy sauce. The perfect easy, lunch that can be prepped in less than 20 minutes.

Ingredients

Scale

Salad Prep

1 English or Japanese cucumber
Pinch of Salt & Sugar
2 cups shredded red cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
2 cups frozen edamame, thawed
1/8 cup or more cilantro or parsley, roughly chopped

Sauce Prep

2 tbsp soy sauce or gluten-free soy sauce
1–2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1–2 tsp chili garlic sauce
1 tbsp lime juice (about one lime) or rice wine vinegar
1–2 tsp sugar or maple syrup (adjust to taste)
2 stalks of green onions, sliced
1–2 cloves garlic, grated or crushed with a garlic press
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1–2 tsp chili crisp oil, optional (but does give more flavor and heat)

For Serving

Cooked rice or quinoa
Avocado

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Instructions

Place your cucumber on a flat cutting board and with a rolling pin or the flat side of your knife, smack down on the cucumber to split it. Now, cut them into 1-inch pieces.
This step is optional, but it does help keep your cucumbers nice and crispy. Place the cucumber in a strainer sitting on top of a bowl along with a pinch of salt and sugar. Allow the cucumbers to sit and draw out excess liquid for at least 15 minutes as you prepare the remaining vegetables.
To a small bowl or jar, prep your sauce by combining all the sauce ingredients including just the white part of the scallions (save the rest for garnish) and whisking together. Make sure to taste and adjust the flavor of the sauce to your liking.
In a mixing bowl add the cabbage, carrots, edamame and herbs.
Drain your cucumbers and pat dry with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel.
When ready to serve add the cucumber and pour over your sauce. Give everything a good toss to coat and serve as desired with extra sesame seeds and sliced scallions.

Notes

Tailor the spice to your preference. The recipe currently is set to give you guidelines, but you can taste your sauce and add more of the spicy elements like more chili garlic sauce or chili oil based on your preference. If you are nervous about spice, leave it out, taste and see how you like it and add spice in small increments until it’s to your liking.

I highly recommend that you taste test your sauce before pouring over your veggies. This gives you an option for modifying it more to your liking. You may want it saltier, sweeter, or tangier. In which case, add small amounts of the things you want to help make it exactly how you like it.

To make this dish gluten-free, replace the soy sauce with a gluten-free alternative. You can use coconut aminos, just note it will be slightly sweeter so you may need less sugar overall. Other options include Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, Gluten-Free Soy Sauce, or Gluten-Free Tamari.

The salt and sugar over the cucumbers help to draw out excess moisture from your cucumbers and the combination of the salt and sugar also helps to flavor the cucumbers before adding the sauce.