Summer Dreams Salad

the Painted Apron

1 year ago

Our temps are really warming up

and they have me dreaming of my favorite summer foods

I can’t wait for fresh corn, ripe red tomatoes

and the bounty of summer produce

to arrive in the markets and stores

I love to eat salad for dinner on warm days and this one is a favorite

This Asian Pasta Salad with Creamy Coconut Dressing

was created from elements of

The Pioneer Woman’s Asian Noodle Salad

and Carlsbad Craving’s Asian Peanut Coconut Dressing

I adjusted the recipes to suit our tastes,

eliminating a little of this and subbing a little of that-

Add chicken or shrimp if desired, or eliminate the pasta…

An easy way to cook the pasta

is to put it in a pan of boiling salted water,

cover the pan and immediately turn burner off

The pasta will cook through but not overcook,

and it will hold until you’re ready to continue

The base of this “finger licking good” dressing

is Greek coconut yogurt and creamy peanut butter

Put the peanut butter in a pint jar

and microwave for 30-60 seconds,

until peanut butter begins to melt

Then add the rest of ingredients

Shake, shake, shake,

and then give it a few stirs for good measure

Drain the hot pasta and immediately toss it with dressing to coat

Mix well

Top with remaining ingredients

Toss to combine, taste and add more dressing if desired

Serve with additional peanuts and dressing on the side

Refrigerate leftover salad to enjoy again,

it will stay good for 1-2 days

ASIAN PASTA SALAD WITH CREAMY COCONUT DRESSING

Course Main Course, Salad

Cuisine American, Asian

Keyword Asian noodles, Asian salad, Coconut Dressing, pasta salad, Yogurt dressing

Prep Time 20

Servings 4

Ingredients

Salad

4 oz thin spaghetti
2 handfuls,or 40 fresh snow peas, trimmed and cut into small pieces
1/3 English cucumber sliced and cut into half moons
2 large handfuls fresh bean sprouts
1 cup thinly sliced carrot discs carrot shreds or grated carrots
6 green onions chopped
4 cups mixed salad greens like baby kale, spinach, romaine, torn into bite size pieces
2 oz salted peanuts

Creamy Coconut Dressing

1 container 5.3 oz. Greek coconut yogurt, like Chobani
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
2 T sweet Asian chili sauce
1 T fresh lime juice
1 T brown sugar
2 T soy sauce
3 T rice vinegar
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp ginger paste optional
3 T milk

Instructions

Salad

Fill a 3 qt sauce pan half way with water and add 1 T salt. Bring to boil and add spaghetti. Cover and turn burner off, but leave pan on burner while preparing the rest of the salad. Pasta will cook gently as burner cools down
Rinse snow peas and microwave 1-2 minutes until just crisp tender. Cut in half.
Drain pasta. Pour 3-4 heaping Tablespoons of dressing over warm pasta and toss to coat.
Add salad greens, cucumber, snow peas, green onions, carrots, and peanuts. Toss to combine. Add more dressing if desired. Serve salad with additional dressing and peanuts on the side.

Creamy Coconut Dressing

Place peanut butter in a pint jar and microwave for 1-2 minutes until it begins to melt. Add remaining ingredients and shake well. Stir with a spoon until smooth. Refrigerate until serving and stir again before adding to salad. Makes about 1 1/4 cups. Keep in refrigerator for up to a week.