I’m officially sweaty about 80% of the time now (or 100% of the time that I’m outdoors) and I’m also pretty lazy when it comes to cooking. My late-week lunches at work struggle to come together from old leftovers and forgotten canned goods. I just have very little energy to do anything since it’s so hot! In addition to trying some refreshing green smoothies, I decided to try some new (to me) cooling summer foods that would be good to take to work or eat at home. My favorite go-to cold summer meals are definitely salads, but they don’t always travel too well, so here’s a bit of a twist below and some additional variations you may want to try!
Vegan Brussels Sprout and Kale Soba Salad
Serves 2 with ample leftovers.
Ingredients:
For the salad:
1 bunch of kale, de-stemmed, washed and sliced into thin strips
About 20 Brussels sprouts, washed, with tough outer leaves removed, sliced into thin pieces
4 scallions, sliced
1 package soba noodles
Sesame seed (as desired)
Dash of salt
1 tsp. sesame oil
Pinch of crushed red pepper
For the dressing:
1 tbsp. rice vinegar
4 tsp. sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tsp. soy sauce
Method:
1. Massage your kale in about 1 tsp. sesame oil and a dash of salt in a large bowl.
2. Mix in your Brussels sprouts and stir everything together and stick it in the fridge while you make the dressing.
3. Mix the dressing ingredients together in a separate bowl and then add to the prepared veggies.
4. Begin cooking the soba per package instructions.
5. Add the crushed red pepper and scallions to the salad and mix everything together. Refrigerate while you cook the noodles.
6. Rinse the noodles in cold water when done and mix into the salad. Refrigerate before serving.
Follow the suggestions below for other yummy cold summer salad options!
Noodles: Soba, glass noodles, whole wheat spaghetti, or use couscous or quinoa instead if you’re not feeling noodly.
Veggies: Kale, Brussels sprouts, bell peppers, avocado, carrots, beets, broccoli, corn.
Vegan proteins: Tofu, tempeh, seitan, lentils or beans (chickpeas are my favorite in salads).
Spices: Mint, cayenne, paprika, sesame, garlic, basil.
Add-ins: Walnuts, almonds, peanuts, nutritional yeast (nooch!), dried cranberries or other fruit.
Dressings: Balsamic vinegar, miso tahini, ginger sesame, soy sauce, lemon.
What is your favorite cold noodle salad combo? Any unusual ingredients? Discuss!
More summery recipes by Samantha: Southern-style Vegan BBQ Tofu
Vegan Blueberry and Peach Hand Pies
Skillet Baked Vegan Chicken and Brussels Sprouts Pizza
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Photo: Samantha Lester
