Fresh & Easy Asian Pasta Salad + A Little Soul-Bearing

I'm a perfectionist.  There.  I said it.  That took me about 10 minutes to write because I had to make sure I said it perfectly...

Ahhhh...

Okay, now that that's off my chest, I wanted to let you know that I'm making changes.  That's right.  I'm no longer going to worry about writing the "perfect blog" or posting the "perfect recipe" or taking the "perfect picture".  Okay, maybe I will a little, but my goal is to just do something I enjoy and hope that you all like it.  Otherwise I'll be missing for weeks (Months?  Yes, months....) on end again, and that would be lame, right?

I was reading a book today about why people procrastinate, and it said something really interesting about Action and Motivation.  Which comes first?  "If you said motivation, you made an excellent , logical choice.  Unfortunately, you're wrong."  (Oops!)  "Motivation does not come first, action does!  If you wait until you're in the mood to do something, you may wait forever!"

Amen.  Hence, my absence as of late.

So, thanks for being patient.  I'm back to cooking, inventing and experimenting again, and it feels good.

And you thought you just came here to read a recipe for Asian Pasta Salad!  Ha!  Poor things.. Thanks for letting me spill my guts.  I feel better now :)

Fresh & Easy Asian Pasta Salad
Serves 6

1-16 oz. package brown rice noodles (penne or spiral)
1-15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained
1-15 oz. can kidney beans, drained
2 cucumbers, diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
3 green onions, both green and white part, sliced thinly
1/4 cup red onion, minced
5 green olives (preferably marinated in hot oil), minced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Cook pasta according to directions on package.  Rinse and set aside.  In a large bowl, combine both beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, both onions, olives and cilantro.  Add pasta and toss with dressing (recipe below).  Serve over lettuce for extra nutrition.

*Note:  Brown rice noodles, strangely enough, tend to turn al dente when refrigerated (I didn't mind it, it just surprised me), so you may want to either eat it all in one sitting or try a different type of noodle if you want to eat it as leftovers.  The flavors marinate well though, and everything keeps its crunch.

Asian Dressing
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbs dried basil
2 Tbs agave nectar
2 Tbs real maple syrup
2 Tbs soy sauce

Combine all ingredients and whisk until everything is incorporated and consistency thickens a bit.

This dressing is so mild, making it very versatile.  You can use it on plain lettuce salads, 3 bean salads, or even as a sauce over cooked veggies.  I almost always prefer to use fresh herbs when cooking, but in this case I usually have all these ingredients on hand so it makes for a very quick dinner.  Feel free to substitute if you'd like.

This salad is perfect for summertime.   Hope you like it!

Be Wise Ranch - CSA

Look at this gorgeous head of lettuce!

And I don't call many foods gorgeous...

It comes from one of our local farms in San Diego - Be Wise Ranch.  They have a program called CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) where you can receive a box of fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables every week or every other week.  They have locations all around San Diego so most likely you can find a pickup location that's close to you.  I used to work for Be Wise so I'm kind of partial...but their produce is amazing (maybe you've already been buying their stuff at Jimbo's?) and the people who work there are quite wonderful too.

If you don't live here in San Diego, check your area for CSA programs around you.  Or visit your local farmer's market for some local, seasonal goodies!

Oh.  Did you want to know what I did with that gorgeous head of lettuce?  

I made this awesome salad:

Salad:

1 head red leaf lettuce, chopped or torn into bite-sized pieces

1 ripe avocado, diced

1/8 cup thinly sliced red onion

8 red radishes, thinly sliced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp salt

generous amount of freshly ground pepper

juice of 2 small lemons

2-3 tsp maple syrup (adjust to your taste)

Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl.  In a seperate smaller bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients until combined and slightly thickened.  Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat.  Serve immediately.

Update:

Just picked up my box of Be Wise Ranch produce and had to share!

We're talking beets, two types of oranges, some more of that gorgeous red leaf lettuce, red potatoes, apples, bok choy, leeks, red radishes, strawberries, collards, green kale, butternut squash and a grapefruit!  All organic.  I'm such a health food nerd.