Hearts of Palm Salad is made from heart of palm, a vegetable harvested from the bud of a growing palm tree.  This is very similar to how bamboo is harvested in Japan to make takenooko.  Although heart of palm is very well known through many parts of Asia, it’s not found too often in Japan.

Hearts of Palm Salad features Hearts of Palm, Artichoke Hearts, Cherry Tomatoes, Butter or Bibb lettuce, and Cheese.  The ingredients are tossed together to create an incredibly tasty and healthy salad.  I love to this salad with Wafu (和風) dressing.  Wafu translates to Japanese Style, and this dressing features soy sauce, shallots, shiso (perilla leaves), rice vinegar, sugar, and oil all whipped up in a food processor until completely puréed.  I use a little sesame oil along with a neutral oil (such as canola oil or rice bran oil) to give the dressing an exotic, nutty flavor.  Some people like to add some toasted sesame seed to the dressing, but for me, sesame oil works nicely.

Hearts of Palm Salad is crispy and has a nice crunch to it, so I avoid tossing it with the salad dressing preferring to put it at the table for guests to help themselves to. This healthy and delicious salad stays fresh for several days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

There are lots of ways to make Hearts of Palm salad – Kalamata olives, feta cheese, avocados, croutons, tortilla strips, cucumbers, and crunchy bell peppers are all great adders. As with many salads, you can be as creative as you’d like and still wind up with a great dish.

Give this nutritious salad a try and drizzle some Wafu dressing over it for a Japanese touch.

Let me know what you think in the comments section, below.