Day 195: Ginger-Sesame Noodle Salad

I love summer vacation - I have more time to do things like creating new dishes. This one was a pantry/fridge clean-out recipe, and it turned out well! Even Molly (who is very picky these days) liked it.

Ginger-Sesame Noodle Salad

Ingredients:

1-inch (2.5 cm.) piece of ginger, peeled and chopped into a few big pieces
2 t. tamari (or 2 1/2 - 3 t. soy sauce)
2 T. apple cider vinegar
3 T. sesame oil
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 dash cayenne pepper

1/2 box (about 6-7 oz.) whole wheat spaghetti, cooked according to package instructions*
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 bell pepper (I used 1/2 red and 1/2 yellow), julienned into ~1/4-inch strips
1/2 c. julienned carrots (I used pre-packaged ones)
1 1/2 c. broccoli florets, steamed**
1 T. sesame seeds, toasted***

Directions:

1. Mince the ginger using a food processor, scraping the sides as necessary
2. Add the next five ingredients and blend until fully emulsified.
3. Combine all of the other ingredients in a large container, add dressing, seal, and shake until well-tossed.
4. Chill in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.
   

*In contrast to white pasta, I usually cook whole wheat pasta using the maximum cooking time (e.g., 11 minutes if it says 9-11 minutes on the box). I find that this helps it not to have such a tough texture.
**I put the florets into a Tupperware container with a tablespoon or so of water, covered them loosely, and microwaved them for 2 minutes in my very slow microwave.
***I put the sesame seeds into a dry pan and shook it over a high burner until they started to brown and become fragrant.