Thai Chicken Salad In A Jar

My last meal in a Mason jar was Thai chicken salad but this time we ate it at home, in front of the fire. We had planned to go out to Rocky Island for a last hurrah of summer. We got as far as Basswood. The skies opened up and it poured (hard and steady) until the afternoon. We did stop at Basswood, went for a rain-soaked hike through the woods and beat a hasty retreat for home and dry clothes. I guess we should have had our hurrahs on Sunday when it was warm and sunny.

Thai chicken salad needs two things to shine: rice noodles and really, really good peanut sauce. I could, and sometimes do, eat peanut sauce by the spoonful and consider myself a peanut sauce connoisseur (if there is such a thing). It should have a good balance of sweet, sour and spicy flavors as well as a consistency similar to heavy whipping cream. You can put just about anything in this salad— I used roasted chicken, green onion, cucumbers, carrots, sliced purple cabbage, thick rice noodles and garnished with chopped cilantro and peanuts. Ultimately, it's a pasta salad and the variations are endless.

Thai Peanut Sauce

19 ounces full fat coconut milk

1 1/4 cups unsweetened and natural peanut butter

3 tbsp Thai red curry paste (Mae Ploy)

2 tbsp soy sauce (Healthy Boy Thin Soy Sauce)

2 tsp fish sauce (Squid)

2 tbsp chile garlic

4 tbsp sweet chili sauce (Mae Ploy)

Juice of one lime

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

2 tbsp chopped ginger

3 garlic cloves minced 1 cup water

Put everything into a medium heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a very gentle boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Let the mixture simmer for 3-5 minutes over low heat; stirring occasionally.  Take the pot off the heat, let the sauce cool down to room temperature, serve immediately. The sauce can be served hot or cold and will keep for two weeks in the refrigerator.