Easy Bun Salad with Thai Sausages

Yes, I am suggesting you use Deck Family Farm's Thai sausage to make a Vietnamese dish! The flavors of these cuisines are very similar and so for those of us trying to put together a delicious and healthy meal, it works beautifully.

It is my firm belief that recipes are a starting point and the fun part comes when you create a meal that suits your tastes and your available ingredients. Creating in the kitchen is fun for me, especially when I accept the challenge of using what I actually have on hand. So if these ingredients are new to you, and if you end up enjoying the meal, you'll be ready to improvise with them another day.

Bùn (pronounced boon) is that delicious noodle dish served either as a salad or a soup, depending on the regional tradition. In American Vietnamese restaurants, I have mostly encountered it as a cold noodle dish served with bean sprouts, shredded cabbage, cucumber and carrots, chopped peanuts, fresh mint, basil and cilantro, plus sweet and sour and spicy sauce and a wedge of lime. You can usually order it with various grilled proteins on top.

The most exotic ingredients you'll need are the noodles and the sauces. You can get Vietnamese bun noodles at Asian super markets in the Willamette Valley and you might find it sold in standard grocery stores. The sauces are also easily found in many grocery stores: seasoned rice vinegar, fish sauce, sriracha and Thai sweet chili sauce. So pick up a few of these to stock your pantry, and then whipping up this dish, or something similar, becomes very easy.

You'll also need the fresh ingredients, many of which can come from Full Farm CSA! Pick up our Thai Curry Sausages, in bulk or in casing. The seasoning on these sausages is rich and spicy and makes putting together a dish like this easy. You could also use other types of protein like Korean short ribs, ground pork or beef, beef or lamb stew meat or steak. All of these cuts, when seasoned as you like them and cut in bite size pieces, would be a beautiful addition to the bun salad. The CSA also sells the carrots, cabbages, cucumber and herbs that you'll need.

You'll need to head to the grocery for peanuts, sauces and bean sprouts.

In a pinch, I have made this dish using rice instead of noodles, and switched out the standard vegetables for whatever was fresh from the CSA or my garden. And for those of you watching your carb intake, you can leave out the noodles and replace them with more cabbage.

Hyland Artisinal Meats' Thai Curry Sausage

The cooking is very simple: Assemble all your ingredients, cook the noodles, cook the meat, chop the vegetables, and collect your sauces. Once the meat is cooked, set it to the side. When the noodles are cooked, rinse them in cold water and put in serving bowls. Add the vegetables and meat. Add the herbs on the top and then drizzle with sauces.

It is the perfect meal for a hot summer day in Oregon!