Thursday, July 8, 2010

Courgette and Noodle Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing





From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Extremely hot or cold weather is very unusual in the area where Bob and I live. Folks to the north and south of us seem to bear the brunt of seasonally bad weather, but every so often, usually after we've been smug about how pleasant it is here, Mother Nature and the prevailing winds choose to assert their authority and we either freeze or sizzle. We are sizzling now, and, if the long term forecast is to be believed, we'll be well-done or over-cooked before the weather breaks and we're comfortable again. I made a quick run to the market before dinner to pick up some rotisserie chickens, only to find there were none left. The gal at the counter apologetically chalked it up to the heat. Laziness, rather than the heat had led me to the deli counter, so I had to smile. I don't mind cooking in this weather, but I have found the heat affects my appetite. I need less and lighter food when the temperature climbs. I had fashioned a new, light salad that turned out well, so I was looking for a protein extender to keep my favorite carnivore happy and at the table. Fortunately, there were shrimp aplenty at the fish market and the dinner menu was set. I'm really excited about the salad. I hope you will try it and enjoy it as much as we did. I'd really like some feed back should you decide to make it. Be sure to follow the instructions that come with your rice or bean thread noodles. They can turn to mush if you let them soak to long. The rest of the recipe is a cakewalk, especially if you have a julienne peeler like the one that can be seen here. The salad is very easy to do, though I would suggest you make it several hours before you plan to serve it. My inspiration was the summer squash that is beginning to appear in markets throughout our area. This really warm weather assures that there will be plenty of it for the remainder of the summer. This recipe guarantees we'll eat our share of it and the squash won't go to waste. If you, too, share your table with a confirmed carnivore, shrimp or chicken would be a wonderful extender or accompaniment. Here's the recipe.

Courgette and Noodle Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:

2 (8-oz. each) zucchini, julienned
2 (8-oz. each) yellow crookneck squash, julienned
2 ounces fine rice or bean thread noodles (i.e. saifun), soaked, drained and rinsed
Dressing
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons shredded onion and juice
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon poppy seeds, divided use

Directions:
1) Place squash and noodles in a large bowl. Toss well to combine. Set aside.
2) Combine sugar, salt, lime juice, mustard, onion and juice, oil and 2 teaspoons poppy seeds in a small bowl. Whisk to dissolve sugar and combine all ingredients.
3) Pour half of poppy seed dressing into another large bowl. Add squash mixture and toss to coat with dressing. Add remainder of dressing as required to coat, but not drown, mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill for at least 3 hours, tossing occasionally. To serve, drain and transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with reserved teaspoon of poppy seeds. Yield: 6 - 8 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Cucumber and Tomato Salad - One Perfect Bite
Corn Salad with Edamame and Tomatoes - One Perfect Bite
Bulgur Salad with Pomegranate Dressings - One Perfect Bite
Roasted Radish and Greens Salad - White on Rice Couple
Sesame and Ginger Coleslaw - Closet Cooking
Summer Tortellini Salad - The Sisters Cafe

66 comments :

Nina Timm said...

That is such a beautiful salad, both in appearance and texture!!!!We are freezing here right now!!

Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...

this beautifu noodle salad is very suitable to serve in hot weather,sound refreshing!

The Words Crafter said...

What a great idea! This one is going in my recipe folder, too! I have something for you over on my blog when you get a chance to stop by...

Susi's Kochen und Backen said...

I'm bookmarking this one! It sounds wonderful!

Angie's Recipes said...

A perfect summer lunch treat!

Rue said...

Mmmm...I love summer squash!

I do hope you find a way to stay cool. The heat has come to us too now - very quickly - and it's a bit hard to adjust. Luckily I'm going camping for a few days and will stay cool in the shade with my icy drinks!

Jeannie said...

We have hot weather the whole year through so this is perfect for any time of day:D Very refreshing looking salad, not to mention pretty!

Monet said...

We have mild weather here in Colorado...but we've had some scorchers this summer. I love this salad...I've never thought to use poppy seeds in a noodle salad, but it looks delicious!

Mary | Deep South Dish said...

Down south heat = lazy. Why do you think we are all fat down here? Think you'd want to exercise in 100 degree temperatures with 100% humidity 90% of the year?! ;) It's been rain, rain, rain down here lately but that finally moved out and at least temporarily took the sweltering heat away for a bit.

Gorgeous salad! I love cellophane noodles and they are great hot or cold. Ya done good Mary!

Jayanthy Kumaran said...

Hy Mary,
First time here..Amazed by d awesome collection of recipes u have...! Glad to follow u. Will be visiting here often.
Do drop in at my space sometime.

Priya Suresh said...

Such a great looking salad, looks soo refreshing Mary..

Diane said...

OK so that is on the list for next week when Nigel arrives. Plenty of Squash here now in the garden. Have a good day. Diane

Rita said...

Sounds like my kind of salad. We are going through thsat heat wave also; too much of a good thing.
Rita

Carole Poirot said...

Poppy Seed dressing sounds really interesting and delicious, I'll have to try that. Thanks so much for all the wonderful food inspiration. Love from London x

Umm Mymoonah said...

Looks very fresh with all the fresh ingredients you have added.

tata | bonitafood said...

You always make me hungry everytime I visit your blog, Mary :D. And I always wonder that you never run out the stocks of ideas for cooking :D

Simply Life said...

Oh I love the colors in this! How delicious!

Schnitzel and the Trout said...

That salad is definitely worth trying and the julienne cutter...well, that seems to be a real time saver. Will have to check into that.

PeggyR said...

Oh gosh that sounds great! You can read the good news on my blog!

Joanne said...

I definitely eat lighter dishes in the summer even if I still spend many hours in the kitchen cooking! I love the poppy seed dressing on this salad. Sounds delicious.

Ana Powell said...

Such beautiful noodle salad.
Another winner ♥

Unknown said...

Sounds like a great summer salad.

Erica (Irene) said...

This salad looks like a perfect summer treat,very refreshing......... especially when we are in extreme heat up in The Great White North.
Thanks for sharing your recipe.

Katerina said...

Summer heat is always a problem for me too. I just become lazy and sleepy. Needless to say that I do not even dream of baking during these days. Your salad is the best solution for such a weather.

Yvonne @ StoneGable said...

Wow, this is a summery and delicious sounding recipe. Beautifully presented!
Yvonne

Tasha said...

What a lovely salad- pretty and perfect for hot summer days!

Anonymous said...

A onderful alternative to pasta. The dressing is also very interesting.

CaSaundraLeigh said...

I absolutely love using poppyseeds in both sweet and savory dishes--Subway's sweet onion dressing is my favorite due to the addition of poppyseeds. Hope your week is going well :-)

Unknown said...

What a beautiful salad. Chris dislikes squash, but I could just double the zucchini instead. I know about heat..it's supposed to be 110 here today! OUCH! Guess that's why man invented air conditioning! Hope you stay cool!!

Biren said...

This salad sounds wonderful! Love the color too :)

Patricia @ ButterYum said...

Sounds really wonderful - I can taste that yummy dressing already. I hope you cool down soon - our temp hit 101 yesterday.... I nearly melted.

:)
Butteryum

We Are Not Martha said...

Wow, this looks perfect for a super hot, sweltering day like today! It's so pretty too.... I love poppy seed dressing!

Sues

3 hungry tummies said...

Another beautiful salad from you that screams Summer Is Here! I can't wait to serve such a dish again!

Gloria Baker said...

I love this Mary, look really yummy!!

redmenace said...

This is the perfect warm weather food! I also don't like cooking much in the heat-- especially baking.

Look delicious. The plating is lovely!

The Blonde Duck said...

It's so colorful!

Baking is my Zen...sweet nibbles for the soul said...

I need to get this peeler. Look forward to making this...will let you know.

Nice post!

Carmen

grania said...

you always do such lovely recipes, and i don't know how you manage to post on a daily basis!!

i'm very much looking forward to trying this one though.

Barbara said...

What a lovely salad, Mary. Glass noodles are such fun to use and teamed with courgette, really unusual and pretty.
I love salads like this in our warm Florida weather. We are used to it down here; hang in there, Mary...it won't last too much longer where you are.(We have it until October!)

By the way, your rosemary aioli sounds wonderful!

GLENDA CHILDERS said...

I love summer salads. Thanks for another great one to add to my collection.

Hope the heat spell ends soon, Mary.

Fondly,
Glenda

Adventures in Domestic Cooking said...

This looks so fresh and healthy!

FOODESSA said...

Bean thread noodles or as I call them...Mung bean noodles have become a great discovery from the Asian grocery store. I make a bit more and use it here and there...especially in salads.
Great refreshing and tasty recipe.

We're going through quite the heat wave also...nice light food and less calories;0)

Flavourful wishes, Claudia

Vegetarian Yogini said...

healthy, light and elegant! AND Vegetarian!Thanks so much- this one is a "must try" for sure!

Panchpakwan said...

Wow salad looks so fresh and delicious with poppy dressing.

PranisKitchen said...

wow delicious healty and colorful salad.. u have a good collection of very healthy sald recipes.. really loved it

Deb in Hawaii said...

This looks delicious. I just love my julienne peeler for dishes like this.

Cristie said...

This does sound lovely for a hot summer's night. I've been known to stand at the deli counter and wait for a chicken to come off the spit . . . they can sure come in handy.

Lyndas recipe box said...

Such a pretty salad Mary, and I'msure delicious. I 'm loving the dressing ingredients too!
Our weather has been in the 90's since June 1st, but is cooler this week, thankfully.

Suman Singh said...

healthy n delicious noodles..yummm

Chef E said...

Now I love my veggies in my noodles, now this is one I will have to make!

Tina said...

Mary, that is a great salad to have when the temperatures are at such severe highs. Looks wonderfully refreshing.

Anonymous said...

Thank you very, very much for your kind note and for voting!!

Your salad is gorgeous. So fresh! I use saifun in stir fry but have never thought to pair it with veggies for a summer salad like this. I love it! Thanks for posting. We are having a heat wave too (east coast). So it would be a perfect meal for us.

Jen_from_NJ said...

Your salad looks lovely and so light. I can't wait to give it a try. Perfect for a HOT summer day!

Nancy said...

This may be just the dish for my guests tomorrow night! Thanks.

Carolyn Jung said...

This looks like just the ticket on a warm summer day. I just want to dig a fork into a big plate of that.

Foley said...

I'm going to have to look for the bean thread noodles - never heard of them before! The salad in summer is also a hit with me..looks scrumptious, the shrimp is an extra bonus!

Cara said...

I love using zucchini as noodles but I have never done it with a sweet poppy dressing like that one. Sounds wonderful!

Lori said...

A very fine idea Mary- I have a couple zucchini's right now.

Cheers Mary!

Julie said...

Really sounds like an amazing salad. I hope your heat lets up soon!

Jamie said...

Lovely! I've been making a courgette carpaccio/salad for a few years and love it but I'm so loving the look and the flavors of your salad. I like the added texture of the rice noodles. And the dressing is scrumptious!

Salsa Verde said...

Amazing recipe and fantastic flavours!
Love,
Lia.

Andreas said...

Nice salad. I like the idea of using poppyseeds in the dressing.

Lucie said...

A great recipe for when you're hungry for something more than greens! This is great, Mary!

SKIP TO MALOU said...

I love all the ingredients that you threw in on the salad. Great combination and texture: the crunchy goodness of the specs of poppy seeds, the soft tenderness of the noodles and the squash and zuchini... definitely refreshing during a hot summer day!

Drink lots of water during these times of the summer, it will definitely cool you down.


Cheers!
malou

Sushma Mallya said...

Pic is really very beautiful mary,seems really delicious as well..

Tammy said...

What a delicious looking salad! I am definitely going that a try. I will be back to your blog quite often. Your food looks amazing and what an awesome blog you have. Thank you very much for sharing your wonderful recipes:)

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