Welcome to another day! Another opportunity to be somebody’s reason to smile. 🙂

We had such a beautiful day yesterday with temperatures in the 20s. I was so glad I decided to turn off the computer and go outside. In the morning we took a long walk before it got too hot and the girls got to wear dresses and play in the yard most of the afternoon.

And by play, I mean garden. That is all that they want to do.

I love that sunshine, but it also makes me so sleepy. In the afternoon we all had to take a nap because we were so tired from the heat. All I craved was fresh veggies! We had Easy Garden Vegetable Wraps with Creamy Garlic Hummus (my new favorite thing) for lunch and for dinner I decided to make Sesame Noodle Salad loaded with even more fresh veggies.

It was loved by all.

Sesame Noodle Salad

This salad is a great Asian-inspired dish with crisp, fresh veggies and soba noodles marinated in a flavorful sweet sesame dressing. A simple recipe that is perfect on hot summery days.

Makes 1 large noodle salad. Serves 8

Ingredients

• 1/2 a 240 g box (4 oz) soba noodles
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons molasses
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
• 1/2 a long English cucumber, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta as directed, 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the sesame dressing by whisking together the toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, molasses and maple syrup. Add the veggies to a large bowl along with the dressing. Drain the pasta and run under cold water to cool. Add the noodles to the veggie/dressing mixture and toss to coat. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve or refrigerate for later. The longer the salad marinates the more flavors will absorb.

Who needs Chinese take-out with recipes like this?