Chef Joe Muth

Another day of play in the kitchen
Last week I stumbled upon these pasta samples from "Explore-Asia" and I had to give them a try. You can read last weeks "Plying with my Food" here for more on the product. The black bean pasta I used for this recipe had a great texture after only three and a half minutes of cooking. I chose bright colors for this cold salad. I used several fresh fruits and vegetables to prepare the salad, feel free to substitute what you have available, and what's fresh. Jicama could be used in place of red peppers for texture, carrots would add nice color, have fun! For the dressing I utilized juice from the oranges and added rice wine vinegar to give it a bite. The sweetness of the dressing is rounded out with sesame oil, which also adds a nutty flavor. This salad also works well with Quinoa in place of the pasta. 1 Cup of Quinoa(dry) should be plenty. Follow instructions on package to prepare.
 
 

INGREDIENTS

7 oz. package Explore Asian black bean spaghetti

2 ea. green onion, sliced thin

1/2 bunch purple kale, de-stemmed and shredded

1 red bell pepper, small dice

1 mango, peeled and diced

4 tangerines, peeled and sectioned

1 cucumber, seeded and sliced

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

Dressing

1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

2 tsp. Sriracha

1/4 cup sesame oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Serves 4 as Entrée Directions

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add pasta. Cook for 3 1/2  minutes while stirring occasionally. Drain pasta and rinse under cold water. Add pasta to a large bowl and add next 6 ingredients. Make dressing by combining orange juice., vinegar, and Sriracha in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the sesame oil and season with salt and pepper. Add dressing to salad and toss gently.