Summer Noodle Salad


Today was Father's Day and it was an unusual one because with COVID I wasn't able to entertain my dad and his girlfriend at my house. My dining room table is now my home office and I don't have a patio or backyard to host gatherings in. We ended up eating together at his house, which caused me to research items that could be made ahead and that required little to no reheating. 

This Summer Noodle Salad was a smashing success! I kept this version vegetarian but a protein such as grilled tofu, shrimp or chicken can easily be added to make this an easy lunch or dinner. The only cooking involved was making the spaghetti. Everything else comes together with store bought ingredients found at any major grocery store.

This salad uses coconut aminos. If you haven't tried them I urge you to. Coconut aminos is a soy free substitute to soy sauce. It has 73% less sodium than regular soy sauce, is gluten free and is vegan. The brand I use is "Coconut Secret". I hesitated to try coconut aminos but now use it in place of soy sauce in most of my cooking. You can use soy sauce instead but I think it will make the salad taste very different. 

Here's what I love about this salad:
  • It's make ahead
  • Easy to find ingredients
  • Can be made into a lunch or dinner by adding protein
  • I recently changed this up a little by omitting the coleslaw mix, carrots and edamame. Instead I added grilled corn kernels, sliced radishes and peas. The peas were added to the spaghetti during the last 3 minutes of its cooking time. 
  • *Use maple syrup to make this vegan
  • **If using Bragg Amino Acids reduce to 1 tbs
RECIPE
4 servings: If using Coconut Secret: 273 cals/8.3g total fat/1.1g saturated fat/42g carbs/3.3g fiber/9.3g sugar/0g added sugar/7.8g protein 
6 servings: If using Bragg Amino Acids: 160 cals/2.1g total fat/1.1g saturated fat/27g carbs/2.4g fiber/3.2g sugar/6.4g protein

6 oz thick spaghetti [glutenfree can be used]
1/4 cup coconut aminos**
1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar [start with 1 and add more to taste]
1 1/2 teaspoons honey*
2 tablespoons olive oil [toasted sesame oil is wonderful if you have it]
1/2 cup frozen shelled edamame 
1-2 cups shredded coleslaw mix
1/2 cup very thinly sliced carrots [matchstick or julienned]
1/2 bunch of green onions, thinly sliced [whites and greens]
Freshly cracked black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Break spaghetti in half and cook according to package directions. Add edamame during the last 4 minutes of cooking time. Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk in coconut aminos, balsamic vinegar, honey and olive oil. Season with cracked pepper. Add the shredded coleslaw, carrots and green onions. Drain the spaghetti and rinse until cool. Add spaghetti to the bowl of veggies. Toss to combine. Taste and adjust for seasonings. For more crunch, add another 1/2 - 1 cup of coleslaw mix. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 1 day. 

Recipe inspired by Stop & Shop's June 2020 "Savory" edition.

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