Simple Cilantro Salad

When I saw this post on 101 Cookbooks, I had to make this salad as it is cilantro season. Pretty soon, it will be too hot for cilantro to grow so make it now! I actually liked it so much, I made it as the salad for Mother's Day too. We have an abundance of cilantro at the farm from the winter.

makes about 6 servings
1 cup high heat canola oil
1 cup thinly sliced shallots, about 6
1 large bunch of cilantro with stems (the freshest you can find)
1 tablespoon soy sauce or liquid aminos
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

To make the shallot oil, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. turn down the heat to medium, sprinkle in the shallots, and cook slowly until they are golden brown for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, strain the oil off into a mason jar. Place the shallots on a paper towel and allow them to cool and crisp. Toast the sunflower seeds and sesame seeds, watching closely to make sure you don't burn them.

Cut off any tough, thick stems from the cilantro. Keep the tender ones. Whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, sea salt, and shallot oil to make the dressing. Place the cilantro, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds in a large bowl. Drizzle the dressing on top and garnish with the crispy shallots.

From the farm: