So, if you didn’t know, my oldest children, my identical twins, were born 3 months early. We spent 70 days in the NICU. Since we didn’t have any other children, and it was a true daily life and death struggle, we basically lived in the NICU. All day, all night. Only leaving during shift change for 1 1/2 hours in the early morning, and 1 1/2 hours in the evening.

That’s when we ate. Since our primary care nurses became our friends and family during this time, we talked about everything. And they were always encouraging us to branch out from the hospital cafeteria to nearby restaurants. It took at least a month and a half before we were comfortable being that far away. Even for such a short period of time.

It was during this time, that we were introduced to Phil’s BBQ at its original location in hillcrest. It was also, when our favorite nurse introduced me to the gloriousness that was the luau salad at cheesecake factory.

If you know the cheesecake factory, you know that their portions are big, but their menu is even bigger. You could prolly eat there everyday for a year, and never repeat a dish. Not kidding.

So, it’s no surprise that I had never had the luau salad. And it was amazing. Crispy wonton chips coated in a sweet chili sauce and coated with sesame seeds and macadamia nuts. Pickled green beans and cucumbers. Shredded chicken breast, diced bell peppers, mangos, and the best balsamic dressing. Literally the best.

And, because we ate there, and I ate that salad, throughout the end of my kiddo’s hospital stay, it was the only thing I’d ever order there. Until they took it off the menu. And I may or may not have had issue with this. There is no equal salad.

It’s been years, and I still think about that salad. Maybe it’s because my 2lb babies turned 16 this year, or maybe it’s just been too darn long, but I decided to recreate this salad. And boy, am I ever glad I did. It is exactly the salad I remember. And now, you can enjoy it too.

Ingredients:

12 wonton wrappers

avocado oil

3 Tbsp sweet chili sauce

2 Tbsp honey

1/3 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

1 tsp sesame seeds

2 cups water

2 cups rice wine vinegar

2 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp salt

2 cups 1 inch pieces of green beans

1 cucumber halved, seeded, and sliced

shredded chicken breast from a rotisserie chicken (just to make your lives easier)

5oz baby spring mix lettuce

1 cup minced mangos

1 red bell pepper, minced

1 yellow bell pepper, minced

3 green onions, sliced

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tsp sesame oil

4 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Directions:

Fill a cast iron skillet 1/4 inch with avocado oil. Heat until shimmering.

Shallow fry wonton wrappers, 1 at a time. Remove before they get dark brown. Wrappers will continue to cook and darken after removed. Set on a paper towel to drain.

Whisk together sweet chili sauce and honey. Drizzle over all wontons. Sprinkle with macadamia nuts and sesame seeds.

In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water, 2 cups rice vinegar, 2 Tbsp sugar and 2 tsp salt to a boil.

Place green beans and cucumbers in 2 mason (or similar jars). Pour water/vinegar mixture over. Let cool.

Whisk together balsamic, 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, 2 tsp sesame oil, 4 Tbsp sugar and 1 tsp salt.

In a large bowl, toss together chicken, lettuce, mangoes, bell peppers, green onions, carrots, green beans and cucumbers.

Toss with balsamic dressing.

Layer wonton, salad, wonton, salad, wonton, salad.

4 servings.