Easy Asian Pasta Salad

This is a super easy salad to make either from scratch or from leftovers from other meals!  It's easy and perfect for hot summer days!  We just ate this on our picnic this afternoon and really enjoyed it!  :)


Easy Asian Pasta Salad:
2 c. Cooked Thin Spaghetti
1 c. Veggies (Brussel Sprouts, etc...)
1/2 c. Cooked Meat or tofu, chopped
2 T. Sesame Seeds
Asian Salad Dressing


1.  Mix together spaghetti, sesame seeds and cooked meet.
2.  Prepare veggies, and then cut into bite-size pieces.  (Wash, Peel and whatever else may be needed.  If using brussel sprouts I recommend sauteing them like this tutorial.)
3.  Mix in veggies and add dressing until it is to your desired consistency.  I used about 3 T. of dressing.  :)
4.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.  Enjoy!

 Enjoy!  You can even make this a day ahead and refrigerate until serving!  

Oh and this is the dressing I used. (and love for regular salads too!!)

I love this dressing because it's the perfect mix of sesame goodness (think Wendy's old Asian Chicken Salad) and really good ginger-ness! (think good Japanese Steakhouse's Salads) Yum!

Brussel Sprouts (and three ways to fix them!)

It's turns out...that my hubby and I both hadn't ever (at least as far as we could remember) had brussel sprouts before.  So, when I was talking to my Mom a few months ago and she told me that she had recently bought and fixed some of them....I was intrigued and had to go out and buy some.  And after buying them about 10 times more, I can bet you can guess that we both liked them!  :)  So, here are a few ways to cook these little tiny adorable cabbages!  :)

(This post is referring to fresh brussel sprouts because they are the best--however frozen aren't too bad either.  So if you are using frozen thaw slightly in the microwave before chopping and sauteing, k?)

Start by giving them a gentle wash.  A colander works well.  :)

 Then trim the little stemmies off.  Like so.  (I <3 the mini cabbages. SO cute!)

 Now you can either slice them like this for either a cabbage-like salad or a shredded stir fry.

 Here's what a pile of shredded ones looks like...

 From here either do A or B but probably not both. :) 

A.  Put the shredded brussel sprouts (raw) in a bowl and add salt, pepper, vinegar and miracle whip until desired flavor for a cole slaw salad.  I loved this....my hubby not so much...  :)

B.  Gently saute the shredded sprouts in olive oil until just getting greener (trust me, their color perks up) and slightly browned.  Don't over cook or else you (or I) won't like it.  Sprinkle with salt and peppa and serve.  Also delish! :)  You could also just add the raw shredded sprouts to any stir fry. 

Sauted shredded sprouts. 

 Here's option C.  This is probably our very favorite!  You can make it Italian style, stir fry style, Asian pasta salad style.....or any style you like!  :)  Yum!  Just trim the stems and then quarter the sprouts.  

 Saute in some olive oil or veg. oil until more green and slightly golden.  Again, don't over cook...It's better to have them on the crunchy side than the overcooked side.  I hear overcooking them is what has given these little cuties a bad rap.  :(  Sad day.  They are SO good, and good for you!  :)

 Take them off the heat and serve with some fresh grated Parmesan cheese or any way you like! :)

Yum!  Enjoy!!!!!!!!  :)