Windy City Wasabean Soba Noodle Salad

  

If you’re like us, there’s a lot of cooking and baking going on during the holiday season.  It’s always nice to have recipes in your arsenal that appreciate time and space as a commodity.  Especially, when you have dozens of holiday cookies cooling on every inch of available kitchen space.  Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall this quick and easy salad does it all!

Windy City Wasabean Soba Salad
Inspired by The Kitchn

Yield: Serves 4 (doubling the salad recipe works well too)

The Method: Salad Ingredients

1 jar of Rick’s Picks Windy City Wasabeans
          Reserve ¾ cup of the brine, and ½ to ¾ jar of the beans.  Set aside.
3 large carrots, diced
4 small scallions, sliced
8 oz. soba noodles (two packs of the divided noodles)
1 Tbs. extra virgin olive or vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted (optional)

 

The Madness: Very Easy Preparation

Soba noodles can be found either on the international specialty aisle of grocery stores, or in local Asian markets.  The noodles are often divided into 4oz. sections within their pack.  Cook the noodles according to their package directions, approximately 5 minutes.  Drain the noodles, and toss them with the tablespoon of olive oil, or vegetable oil to keep them from sticking together.

Place the noodles in the refrigerator to cool.

As the soba noodles cool, wash and peel the carrots.  Dice the carrots into bite sized pieces. This should yield approximately 2-2 ½ cups of diced carrots. Set them aside. Then, clean and slice the green and white parts of the scallions into small bite sized circles.  Toss them in with the carrots.  Take ½ to ¾ jar of Rick’s Picks Windy City Wasabeans and slice the beans into bite sized pieces. Toss the beans in with the carrots and scallions. 

Toss the vegetables in with the cooled soba noodles.  Make Dressing.

The Method: Salad Dressing Ingredients

2 Tbsp. minced shallots

¾ cup of Rick’s Picks Windy City Wasabeans brine

1 Tbsp. sesame oil

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Pinch of Kosher Salt

The Madness: Even Easier Preparation

Whisk the shallots, reserved Windy City Wasabean brine, sesame and olive oils, and salt together in a large bowl. To make things easier, I just use the empty Windy City Wasabeans Jar to make the dressing. Especially if I’ve eaten all of the reserved beans and emptied the jar.  ShakeShakeShake!  Taste the dressing once the ingredients are well incorporated.  Adjust seasoning for taste.

Toss ½ dressing into the vegetables and chilled noodles, or serve dressing on the side.

Note: If you have them handy, garnish the salad with toasted sesame seeds.