Jack O’Lantern Salad with Tangy Peanut Dressing

Truth be told, for many years I made a point to go to stores on October 31st, because I knew that’s when the Halloween items would get relegated to sale shelves and all of the Christmas stuff would come out in earnest.  It was like a starting gun on the holidays.

Jack O’Lantern Salad with Tangy Peanut Dressing

Ingredients

FOR THE JACK O' LANTERN SALAD
• 4 medium-sized oranges
• 2 cups green leaf lettuce, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped small
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped small
• 1/4 cup peanuts
FOR THE TANGY PEANUT DRESSING
• 3 Tablespoons natural peanut butter, unsalted
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons brown rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sriracha or hot sauce
• 2 teaspoons low-sodium tamari
• 3 Tablespoons water
• Salt, to taste

Instructions

TO MAKE THE JACK O' LANTERN SALAD
1. Cut the tops off of four oranges about a quarter of the way from the top. Use a knife to carefully cut around the edges of the inside of the orange. Remove as much of the orange flesh as possible and dice it, removing any seeds you find. To clean out the oranges the rest of the way, use a handheld juicer to juice the oranges and tops. You can drink the orange juice or use it for another recipe. After the oranges are cleaned out, use a small knife to cut jack o' lantern-style faces onto them.
2. Fill each orange with some green leaf lettuce, celery, carrot, and bell pepper. Top with a pinch of peanuts and diced orange. (You will likely have more orange left over than you need.) Serve with Asian-style peanut dressing that guests can pour on their salads.
TO MAKE THE TANGY PEANUT DRESSING
3. Whisk peanut butter, toasted sesame oil, brown rice vinegar, hot sauce, tamari, and three tablespoons of water in a small bowl until smooth.
4. If the dressing is too thick, add additional water (up to one tablespoon) until the dressing has reached your desired smoothness and intensity of flavor. If the dressing is too thin, add an additional teaspoon of peanut butter. Keep in mind that the dressing will thicken in the refrigerator, and don't add additional water until you're about to serve, if necessary. Taste the dressing and add salt, if needed.

https://cadryskitchen.com/2012/10/18/holiday-mash-up-jack-olantern-salad-with-peanut-dressing/