Papaya and Lettuce Salad

A simple salad with red/lolo lettuce, papaya and olives - dressed with red wine vinegar and chives. I think the olives ruined it for me...the next time I make this, I'd leave out my salty olives. Can't wait for mango season in April - This would taste so much better with mango!

Check out the little tentacles on my organic papaya - Scary looking. Never seen anything like this on another papaya.

Papaya and Lettuce Salad

Ingredients:

• 1/2 a papaya
• 5-6 cups of red/lolo lettuce
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Handful of olives
• 1 teaspoon chives

To make:

• Peel, deseed, and dice your papaya.
• Dress your lettuce in red wine vinegar.
• Add the papaya and olives.
• Sprinkle with finely chopped chive.

Som Tam Salad (Well, sort of)

Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam) is the most popular salad in Thailand. As in all things Thai, fish sauce is a must. But I excluded it because a)I don't do fish, and b) I don't have any fish sauce available! Instead, I made a dressing of honey and orange juice. For a more authentic Som Tam recipe, refer here.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 of a large raw papaya
• 1 carrot
• 1 cucumber
• Handful of spinach leaves
• The juice of one orange
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Drizzle of honey
• Handful of crushed peanuts
• Flesh of a coconut, fresh, not dried or dessicated
• Black pepper, freshly ground

To make:

• Shred or grate the peeled papaya, carrot, coconut and cucumber into long thin slivers. See here on how to shred a papaya.
• Chop up or tear a few spinach leaves.
• Mix the orange juice, olive oil, honey and black pepper to make a dressing.
• Mix all the salad ingredients.
• Add the dressing right before you are going to eat the salad.
• Garnish with the crushed peanuts.