Pineapple Salad with Cucumber & Peanuts

Trust me, this was amazing!




Pineapple Salad with Cucumber & Peanuts
(serves 4 as a salad or 2 as a main entree)

Ingredients:
1 to 1 1/2 cups fresh or canned pineapple chunks
1 English cucumber, or 1 medium field cucumber
3 spring onions (green onions), sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly, or diced
1/2 cup dry whole roasted unsalted peanuts
1 cup fresh cilantro + handful of fresh basil leaves (roughly chopped if leaves are large)

Salad dressing:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red chili, de-seeded and minced, OR 1 tsp. chili sauce (or more if you want it extra spicy)
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. fish sauce
juice of 1/2 lime (about 1T.)
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 T. pineapple juice (reserve off cutting board if using fresh pineapple)

Stir well then set aside

Preparation:

Place pineapple chunks in a mixing bowl.
To prepare the cucumber: Remove skin with a vegetable peeler, or cut off with a knife (if the cucumber is organic, leave the skin on for extra nutrients and fiber). Next, cut the cucumber in half lengthwise. Cut these sections again lengthwise (several times if the cucumber is thick), then slice the other way to create cubes or chunks. Add these to the mixing bowl.
Clean out the seeds of the red bell pepper, then slice it thinly into strips. Slice these in half to create matchstick-like pieces. Add these to the mixing bowl.
Add the sliced spring/green onion, plus the whole roasted peanuts. Add most of the basil and cilantro, putting aside a little of each for the garnish.
Now pour the salad dressing over. Toss well.
Pour or scoop the salad onto a serving plate. Top with the extra basil and cilantro you kept back, plus a sprinkling of ground or chopped peanuts. If desired, serve with lime wedges on the side. ENJOY!