Asian Noodle Salad

It was a hundred degrees again today, and I wanted something refreshing for dinner that would take advantage of the abundance of fresh vegetables coming in from the garden.  This noodle salad is also a great pot luck dish and a good way to feature whatever vegetables you happen to have on hand.

Asian Noodle Salad

serves 4-6 people as a meal

Salad

1 package of buckwheat soba, ramen or fettuccini noodles in a pinch (approx 8 oz)

2 green onions

1/4 chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

2 Tbsp minced Thai basil

1 medium cucumber, seeds removed and roughly chopped

1 small bell pepper, roughly chopped

2 cups chopped purple or cabbage of choice

3 cups kale (stem removed) or Swiss chard torn into bite sized pieces

1 1/2 cups grated carrot

1-2 cups of any other vegetables on hand (green beans, peas, broccoli, etc.)

1 cake of tofu, cubed (12-16 oz)

1 cup chopped shiitake or baby bella mushrooms

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup roasted peanuts (cashews or almonds would work too)

1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Make the noodles according to the package directions. In the last minute, turn off the heat add the kale or Swiss chard to the pot with the noodles and let cook briefly until bright green. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process and set aside to drain completely.

In a skillet, heat the olive oil and brown the tofu cubes and mushrooms.  Set aside to cool slightly while preparing the rest of the salad.

Finely slice the green onions, basil and cilantro. In a large bowl add the noodles, onions, cilantro, cucumber, cabbage, bell pepper, carrots and tofu and mushroom mixture. Add the salad dressing and toss until the ingredients and dressing are well incorporated. Garnish with peanuts and sesame seeds.

Dressing

2 Tbsp lemon juice 

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

2 Tbsp Tamari or soy sauce or Braggs amino acid

3 Tbsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp miso paste

1 Tbsp honey or agave nectar

1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped

1 large clover garlic, finely chopped

1/2 tsp Sriracha pepper sauce or finely chopped jalepeño or Thai chili pepper to taste

Whisk the ingredients together until miso and honey have dissolved. Add to the noodle salad.

Enjoy, and thanks for reading.

 Sunflower from the garden

Garden Update and What's for Dinner

The weather is still hot and the garden is continuing to thrive (although the zucchini plants succumbed to some sort of pest).  All the warm weather crops are growing by leaps and bounds and just begging to be photographed. 

   Baby watermelon

 Italian sweet peppers

Corn tassels

The garden is also providing a harvest of veggies everyday.   Soon it will be an avalanche of crops all coming ripe at once begging to be preserved for later in the year.  But for now, the garden is yielding just enough for dinner.  Today's harvest provided the makings of a salad that reminded me of confetti.  The basic salad makings from the garden were butter lettuce, sweet pepper, cucumber, carrots, red and yellow tomatoes plus some purple cabbage from my produce delivery from Washington's Green Grocer this week.

Basic  confetti salad

To make it a meal, I added some avocado, pumpkin seeds, pecans, baked tofu and a dollop of homemade hummus (recipe below after the jump).

To add the finishing touches, I drizzled a little Maple Balsamic reduction (recipe below after the jump) and sprinkled sriracha pepper sauce.

It doesn't take much to make a meal out of what's fresh in the garden or from the farmer's market with the addition of a few items from your fridge or pantry. 

Thanks for reading and bon appétit!

Recipes after the jump...