Asian Pasta Salad

My Asian Pasta Salad is one of my go-to recipes when I need a dish that can be prepared in advance and left sitting at room temperature for a few hours without refrigeration. I make this dish for picnics, to bring to work for lunch and most recently at this weekend’s Super Bowl party.

This recipe includes one of my favorite vegetables, the sugar snap pea. Developed in 1979, the sugar snap pea is a relatively new food, and a hybrid of green peas and snow peas. They are sweet, crunchy, easy to chew, and a good source of fiber, iron, potassium and vitamin C.

Serving size: 6

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces whole wheat angel hair or spaghetti noodles, cooked (optional gluten-free pasta)
• 2 medium carrots, shredded
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 3 cups sugar snap peas
• 5 scallion (green onion) stalks, green and white parts finely diced
• ¼ cup light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon hot chili oil (add more if you like it spicier)
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (can substitute with white vinegar)
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds (optional)
• 3 cups of grilled chicken (optional)

Cook the pasta noodles in salted boiling water, stirring frequently during the first couple of minutes, then occasionally to ensure the noodles do not stick together. Cook it until it is “al dente”. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process. Place in large mixing bowl.

Add carrots, peppers and sugar snap peas to the pasta bowl. Reserve a tablespoon of scallions to use for garnish later and add the rest of the scallions to the pasta bowl.

In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, chili oil, vinegar, grated ginger, canola oil and sesame oil. Reserve 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds to use for garnish later and add the rest to the soy sauce dressing.

Add the dressing to the pasta bowl and toss thoroughly to ensure all the pasta and vegetables are coated with the dressing. Sometimes it’s easier to use clean hands to toss the pasta. The pasta can be served immediately, however I like to cover it and let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple hours to give the pasta a chance to absorb the dressing. Toss the pasta after removing it from the refrigerator. Sprinkle with reserved scallions and sesame seeds before serving.