Crunchy Vegetable Salad

Traditional West African meals are not served in courses. Some families, like my friends the Komaclos, borrow a French custom and start meals with a plate of crudités--crisp vegetables that add color to the meal. The dipping sauce, similar to Thousand Island dressing, combines light mayonnaise and cocktail sauce.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup salad, 1 1/2 teaspoons vinaigrette, and about 1 1/2 tablespoons dipping sauce)

Ingredients

• Salad:
• 1  cup  (3/4-inch) cubed peeled Yukon gold potato
• 1  cup  (3/4-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato
• 4  cups  water
• 1  cup  cauliflower florets
• 1  cup  broccoli florets
• 4  medium carrots, peeled
• 3  small beets (about 8 ounces)
• 10  Bibb lettuce leaves
• 10  small red cabbage leaves
• 
  Vinaigrette:
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh thyme
• 2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
• 2  tablespoons  red wine vinegar
• 1  tablespoon  Dijon mustard
• 1/8  teaspoon  sugar
• 1/8  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 2  teaspoons  extravirgin olive oil
• 
  Dipping Sauce:
• 2  dried habanero chiles
• 1/2  cup  prepared cocktail sauce
• 1/4  cup  light mayonnaise
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• Dash of ground ginger

Preparation

To prepare salad, place potatoes in a medium saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes or until tender. Drain; rinse with cold water. Drain. Place potatoes in a large bowl. Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan; add cauliflower and broccoli. Cook 1 minute or until crisp-tender. Drain; rinse with cold water. Drain. Add cauliflower mixture to potatoes. Using a vegetable peeler, scrape carrots from tip to stem to make long ribbons. Add carrot to potato mixture, tossing gently to combine. Leave root and 1-inch stem on beets; scrub with a brush. Place in a medium saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until tender. Drain; rinse with cold water. Drain; cool. Trim off beet roots; rub off skins. Cut beets into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange lettuce and cabbage leaves alternately on a large platter.

To prepare vinaigrette, combine thyme and next 5 ingredients (thyme through 1/8 teaspoon black pepper), stirring with a whisk. Add oil, stirring well to combine; drizzle vinaigrette over lettuce. Spoon potato mixture over lettuce; top with beets.

To prepare dipping sauce, place chiles in a spice or coffee grinder; process until finely ground. Place 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground chile in a medium bowl (reserve remaining ground chile for another use). Add cocktail sauce and remaining ingredients, stirring well to combine. Serve with vegetables.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

125 (30% from fat)

Fat:

4.2g (sat 0.6g,mono 0.9g,poly 0.3g)

Protein:

2.7g

Carbohydrate:

20.7g

Fiber:

3.7g

Cholesterol:

3mg

Iron:

1.1mg

Sodium:

425mg

Calcium:

41mg