Edamame & Veggie Salad with Noodles

With the temp hitting the 90s today, I was in the mood for something that would be satisfying but refreshing. Tonight's dinner was inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi's recipe in Plenty for Warm Glass Noodles and Edamame. I've been smitten with the recipes in Plenty. A dear friend gifted me the book this week, and it's been on my nightstand - the last thing I read before I go to bed. Gorgeous photos and plenty of inspiration.

This "recipe" is just a guideline of sorts. You can experiment with different veggies that are languishing in your fridge. I had some week-old chard and sugar snap peas, so I threw those in, both to increase the veggie quotient and also because I hate to waste produce. Ottolenghi uses glass (cellophane) noodles, but I had some special rice noodles on hand, gifted by my mother from one of her trips to Taiwan. You can find both types of noodles fairly easily these days, but the rice noodles from my mom are super fine and delicate, thinner than capellini. I'll have to do some research to see if I can find them closer to home.

Hubby and I loved the dish. Katie asked for seconds, but sheepishly admitted that she did not like cilantro. Amanda (not so sheepishly) scolded me for forgetting that she does not like the taste of cilantro. Okay, so next time I'll add the cilantro in separately for the grown-ups' portion.

Oh, and I had some turkey bacon that needed to be used, so I sliced some up to add color, flavor and additional protein, but you can add in diced tofu instead, or just omit altogether.

Will definitely make this again, but I would save it for a weekend night or do some of the veggie prep the night before. It is relatively easy to make, but it does take some time to prep the veggies and herbs.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
7 ounces glass or rice noodles (dried)

Sauce ingredients:
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
juice of 1 large lemon (or 2 medium)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp agave (or honey)
2 tsp guava jam (Ottolenghi calls for tamarind paste, but I didn't have any on hand)
1 tsp soy sauce or tamari
salt (optional)

Salad ingredients:
1 bunch chard (no need to chop)
4 slices turkey bacon, thinly sliced (short ribbons)
2 tbsp sunflower oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed (I loved eating these, but you can pick out at the end if you wish; don't omit, because this adds a lovely aroma to the dish)
2 1/2 cups shelled cooked edamame (I used Trader Joe's frozen edamame - take 5 minutes to cook)
handful of sugar snap peas, sliced on the diagonal
3 green onions, thinly sliced (including some of the green)
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
3 tbsp chopped mint
3 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
salt (optional)

Directions:
1) Soak the noodles in a bowl of hot water until soft (5-7 minutes). Drain and leave to dry.

2) For the chard, bring a large pot of water to boil. Throw the chard in and make sure the water covers all of it, especially the stems. Boil for 3-5 minutes. Drain in a colander and let cool. After it has cooled down, squeeze and drain. Finely chop and set aside.

3) While the chard is boiling, make the sauce by whisking together all of the sauce ingredients and set aside. Add salt to taste (I found it unnecessary).
4) Rinse and dry the large pot you used for the chard. Heat the sunflower oil in the pot and add the garlic. Once it turns a bit golden, add the turkey bacon. Once the bacon crisps up, turn off the heat.

5) Add the sauce and noodles. Stir together.
6) Add the chard, edamame, snap peas, green onions and herbs. Stir together and taste. Add salt if needed.

mint, cilantro and green onion

sugar snap peas

7) Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top.