What are your thoughts on papaya? I definitely always grab it when I’m on vacation. Is it not always part of the breakfast spread in tropical locales? But I can maybe count fives times I’ve purchased it for my own at-home dining. Why is that?
Whatever the reason, I saw this beautiful papaya at the store the other day & just felt I needed to find a way to appreciate this fruit more. Sure, I’ll slice some of it up & have my own vacation-like fruit plate for breakfast, but I really wanted to find a way to incorporate it into a meal. Thus this quick & easy salad was created.
Now some may take issue with naming this a noodle salad, because well, there are no noodles. Traditional noodles anyway. I love to use my mandolin & spiralizer. Easy, quick, & dare I say fun (as long as you watch your hands - one too many cuts). Now does making these items noodle change the dish? Of course not. So if you don’t have these items, no big deal. Chop, slice, dice or grate. It all works!
Papaya Noodle Salad
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups papaya
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups cucumber hot house/English preferred
- 1 cup daikon radish
- 1 cup edamame
- 1 avocado
- 2-3 tbsps fresh mint leaves
- 2-3 tbsps thai basil leaves optional
- toasted sesame seeds optional garnish
Ginger Lime Vinaigrette
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- 1 tbsp tamari or coconut aminos
- 1 tsp vegan honey or agave
Instructions
- Prepare your papaya, radish & cucumber using a mandolin or spiralizer to form long thin noodle-like strips.
- Slice your avocado.
- Make the vinaigrette by whisking all the ingredients together.
- In a large bowl toss together the papaya, radish, cucumber, herbs & edamame with the vinaigrette. Serve topped with the avocado slices & a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.