Sesame Noodle Salad

I usually make at least one vegetarian meal each week, and I like to try new recipes and combinations of foods so Matt doesn't get bored.  I personally love vegetarian meals, but Matt, being the meat lover he is, isn't always thrilled when meat fails to make an appearance on the dinner table.  I came across this recipe and it really appealed to me-I liked that it is substantial enough so that even Matt didn't miss the meat-although you could definitely add some cooked chicken or shrimp to it.

The original recipe calls for soba noodles, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to find those in my local grocery store, so I used lo mien noodles instead.  I think you could also use spaghetti as well. 

This salad was so good that I couldn't wait to eat the leftovers, and I can't wait to make it again.  For dinner, I served this at room temperature and we ate the leftovers for lunch the next day cold.  I actually think I might have liked it a bit better the next day-after the ingredients had time to combine and blend together. 

Dressing:

½ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 green onions, chopped
¼ cup cilantro, chopped

Salad:

1 pound lo mien noodles
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
1 cup shredded red cabbage
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
1½ cups edemame, shelled and cooked
Toasted sesame seeds, for serving

To make the dressing, combine the soy sauce, sesame and canola oils, vinegar, garlic, green onions and cilantro in a small bowl; whisk to blend.

Cook the noodles according to the package directions.  Drain well and rinse with cold water.  Transfer the noodles to a large mixing bowl with the vegetables.  Pour the dressing over the salad; toss well so the noodles and vegetables are coated with the dressing.  Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve cold or at room temperature.

Source: Annie's Eats