Asian Pasta Salad

Pasta salad is my absolute favorite thing about summer. I make a few dozen versions of it depending on my mood. This is one of my favorites. This is a huge batch to share at cookouts.

dressing:
1/4 c rice wine vinegar
1 tsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp or so honey (a 'squeeze'-change to raw cane syrup for vegans)
1 tbsp dark sesame oil
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
scallions

everything else:
1/2 pound whole wheat 'strand' pasta (spaghetti, linguine, etc)
various veggies
2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
salt & pepper

Start off by boiling your pasta in salted water. Prep your dressing by mixing everything together in a big bowl. Add a scallion or three as well, sliced on an angle so they look super classy (and have more surface area for dressing to cling to). I really like scallions so I add 5 or 27. A tsp of salt and 3-4 grinds of black pepper is a good place to start as far as seasoning goes, but remember that you're seasoning raw veggies with this dressing, so you may want to add more. Yes, even with the soy sauce in there.

As far as veggies go, broccoli, carrots, snow peas, regular peas, peppers and any other thematically 'asian' veggies will work. Mushrooms tend to shrivel and make the salad watery, but are tasty so if I'm making it for myself I still use them. I also add edamame for a protein component. The one thing I don't do here is add canned anything... it really throws off the taste of the whole salad. Frozen is ok, especially for peas & edamame. Have enough veggies to make up at least 2 cups worth of vegetation.

When the pasta is done, drain it, shock it with cold water, drain it more, then add to the dressing and toss. Add the veggies, toss some more. Taste one last time for seasoning (remember what I said about seasoning the veggies) add more salt/pepper & stir if needed, then cover and let sit for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator. Before you serve it, sprinkle the top with the sesame seeds so it looks way purdy, and so that the sesame seeds stay crunchy.

Picky Husband Info: Yeah, he's not touching this with a 10 foot pole. Cold pasta makes him squirm, as does edamame and the idea of the tiny little sesame seeds crunching in his teeth. Which is good for me, because it's delicious and I don't want to share. It's a shame though, because it's full of antioxidants, good fats, fiber & veggies.