So it’s five days after Thanksgiving, and if you’re like me then you’re desperately in need of some healthy food in your life. There’s currently a FDA ban on romaine, and mixed greens are iffy as well, so salads seem out of bounds at the moment. But load up on veggies, scrounge up some spinach (my local grocery store is flush with it), and you’ve got a fantastic salad in the making!

This dish is actually inspired by a salad at one of my favorite restaurants, Saturn Grill. Their Asian Broccoli Salad comes with broccoli (duh), green beans, carrots, Napa cabbage, Asian wheat noodles, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and brown sugar-soy dressing. My salad is quite similar but subs low-carb noodles and adds onions, edamame and mushrooms. It’s honestly one of the easiest weeknight dinners I’ve ever made!

The Saturn Grill version doesn’t include lettuce, but I decided to serve this on a bed of spinach for some extra veggie power. If you want to add even more veggies, I’d recommend cauliflower, red and/or green bell peppers or bok choy.

And let’s talk about the dressing…seriously some of the tastiest you’ll ever have. I think it would be great as a marinade for tofu or paneer, or even as a sauce over lo mein or fried rice. Though this is a chilled salad, it’s really tasty any time of the year because the flavor is rich without being too filling. Try out Edamame + Mung Bean noodles like we did, or go for the classic soba noodles. Either way, enjoy!

INGREDIENTS - DRESSING

2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 T. red onion, finely minced
1 1/2 T. ginger, finely minced
1/4 c. seasoned rice vinegar
1 1/2 t. Dijon mustard
1 t. brown sugar
3 T. honey
1 T. low-sodium soy sauce
1 t. sesame oil
1 t. sriracha
2 T. black sesame seeds
2 T. white sesame seeds
1/3 c. olive oil
1/3 c. vegetable oil

INGREDIENTS - SALAD

1 box soba noodles or Explore Cuisine’s Edamame & Mung Bean Fettuccine
Frozen edamame, cooked according to package direction
Shredded carrots
One bag of steam-in-the-bag broccoli
One bag of steam-in-the-bag green beans
8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
1 T. butter or vegan butter
1 bunch of green onions, diced
1 Napa cabbage, shredded
1 red onion, diced
Fresh spinach

STEPS

1) Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a mason jar and shake, shake, shake!

2) Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain, allow to cool at room temperature, then place in the refrigerator.

3) Microwave the green beans, edamame and broccoli according to package directions. Drain, allow to cool at room temperature, then place in the refrigerator.

4) Heat a pan over medium-high heat and the butter. Wash and slice the mushrooms. Once the butter is melted, add the mushrooms and cook until lightly browned and fragrant. Set aside.

5) Slice and dice the green and red onions and set aside for garnishing.

6) Wash the cabbage head, cut it in half and shred it (you’ll probably only need half of it).

7) Dump the noodles, carrots, broccoli, green beans, edamame, mushrooms and cabbage into a large bowl and drizzle with the dressing. Toss until everything is covered.

8) Add some spinach to a plate and top with the noodle/veggie mixture. Sprinkle with the onions and additional sesame seeds, if desired.