Asian Green Bean Salad

I scared you a little bit, didn't I? I disappear for three months with no warning, and then I come back and actually begin posting again on a regular basis, only to let you go two weekends in a row with nothing. Well, this time, you can blame my husband, for being wonderful and whisking me away to a surprise weekend full of bizarro trees and really delicious food (we went to a bed & breakfast near Joshua Tree National Park).

It was a great weekend and gave us both a good dose of relaxation. And lo and behold, breakfast one of the mornings was no less than a version of baked peach french toast! If you haven't made this yet, you must. You really must. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

Because I want to tell you about this here green bean salad. I stumbled upon it during a search for meals that I could make during the week when I got home from work that would be easy, fast, and really tasty. This was all three and then some. Served warm, it reminds me of great noodle salad takeout. Served cold, it's a refreshing spring salad. And because you can chop the veggies while the pasta cooks, this comes together quite fast.

Asian Green Bean Salad

Adapted from Cooking Light

A few comments. The original recipe calls for 3 ounces of uncooked linguine. You're a far better person than I am if you can measure out 3 ounces of pasta, or find it in packages of that size. I bought a 1 pound package and almost used the whole thing. Next time, I probably will. So, I've revised this recipe accordingly. I was liberal with the veggies, but feel that I was somewhat close to the recipe. I also found that, even with the extra pasta and veggies, I didn't need to adjust the amount of dressing from the original recipe measurements; the salad was still well dressed.

Salad Ingredients:

1 pound uncooked linguine

1 pound green beans, trimmed (snow or snap peas may also be a very good substitute)

2 cups celery, sliced

1 cup red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 cup green onion, thinly sliced

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Dressing:

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons dark sesame oil (I used olive oil)

2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger*

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 red jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1) Cook pasta according to package directions; add beans during last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain. Rinse with cold water if you prefer to serve this cold. Place mixture in large bowl and mix in celery through cilantro.

2) Make the dressing: combine ingredients in a small bowl; stir with whisk until blended. Add to salad and toss well. Cover and chill, or serve warm.

*Note:

Don't use fresh ginger often? It freezes well! Just wrap what you don't use in plastic wrap and place in the freezer. When you need it next, you can peel it/grate it while it's still frozen.