Asian Noodle Salads are a huge go-to for me in the summer when fresh vegetables are abundant, but I also find myself craving them in the middle of winter when the heavier fare of comfort food starts to weigh me down (literally!). So versatile, these salads can be crafted in many different ways, but I find I tend toward my ‘staple vegetables’ of onion, pepper, and carrots, then mix it up depending on the time of year with cucumbers, cabbage, tomatoes, and yes, even radish. Radish and I have a love-hate relationship: I hate that I don’t love to eat them because I find them so beautiful AND they are quick to grow (though picky when the weather suddenly turns hot…yes, lots and lots of radish greens).
Noodles? My favorite are wide lo mein, but feel free to substitute whatever you like, especially if you need a gluten free option, or even cook up a batch of long grain brown rice if that is easier to set up in a rice cooker. The point for me is to create a beautiful, healthy, pleasurable meal that can be truly enjoyed…not cursed for lengthy time involvement and fussy preparation. To that point (ha! can’t just keep it simple!), I wanted to create a ‘special’ eye-catcher for this dish, so I spiralized a large carrot and was intending to air fry it to beautiful crispy curls, but that all ended up in a burnt mess, so I switched gears and sautéed the curls in a skillet so they were just warmed and still crunchy. Experiment, adapt, and overcome. So come on…Let’s get cooking!
As always, keep in touch! Enjoy!
-Julie
Cold Creek Farm 