Asian Mizuna Greens and Pasta Salad with Edamame and Pea Shoots

 

Some recipe creations just fall into place. By some stroke of lucky you happen to have every ingredient on hand that you crave. This happened to me yesterday. In my La Nay Ferme CSA share this week, I received a small bag of purple and green Mizuna greens. 

Mizuna greens have roots in Japan and are often called Japanese greens, spider greens or Japanese mustard greens. I was craving a large salad and thought I should roll the origin and go Asian. I thought back to one of my favorite recipes for Asian Chicken Pasta Salad by Kami of No Biggie.

  

In Kami's recipe you marinate bowtie pasta and roasted chicken overnight in a simple homemade, sweet and soy-based Asian dressing. I didn't have that much time, I didn't want meat and I wanted to use other ingredients from my CSA share like pea shoots, peas, carrots and white and purple spring onions. 

So I made Kami's dressing recipe and tossed some of it in bowtie pasta, carrot ribbons, edamame, chopped pea shoots and spring onions. The dressing coated the bowtie pasta as I had hoped and lunch was about ready. I poured half the mixture onto the mizuna greens and topped them with fresh peas.

If you are a member of the La Nay Ferme CSA or have these ingredients on hand--make this salad soon. I would order it at a restaurant, again and again.  The sweet dressing offers balance to the almost bitter mizuna. The toasted sesame seeds are mild and nutty. The edamame offers a toothsome chew and the fresh peas add a snappy crunch. Each component is great on it's own, but together they become a salad to remember.


Asian Mizuna Greens and Pasta Salad with Edamame and Pea Shoots
(salad components are enough for 2, dressing and pasta will serve much more)

Ingredients:
2 oz. Mizuna Greens (purple and green)
1 small carrot (peeled into ribbons)
2 spring onions (purple and green)
1 lb. bowtie pasta (cooked and still warm)
1/2 oz. pea shoots
handful of fresh peas
1/2 cup shelled edamame (warm)
1 recipe of No Biggies' Asian Chicken Pasta Salad Dressing (below)

Directions:
Wash and prepare all produce. Make dressing. Coat all ingredients besides peas and Mizuna greens with about 1/3 cup of dressing. Toss until evenly dressed. Pour over Mizuna greens and serve.

Dressing
by Kami of No Biggie

Ingredients:
1/4 Cup Sesame seeds (toasted)
1/3 Cup Soy Sauce
1/3 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/3 Cup Veg. Oil (*or Sesame Oil is great here too)
2 TBS. Sugar (I used 1/2 honey, 1/2 sugar)
1/2 tsp. S & P

Directions:
Whisk all ingredients together.