Okay, so this is a great example of “what goes up, must come down.” Unless I want to go buy an entire new wardrobe yet again, with all this bread baking going on (wait ’til you see the one I’ve got proofing overnight in the refrigerator, holy cow), I’m going to have to start sharing some Cooking Light recipes here.
The truth is, I cook from Cooking Light all the time. But it’s never seemed exciting enough to talk about in this space. Now, with several loaves of bread being cooked each week (What, several, you ask? I have to practice my sourdough, and then there’s that Anadama Bread that keeps getting requested for sandwiches, after all.), pounds of butter and flour and eggs being thrown into rich bread dough as though I had the metabolism of a teenager, I’m all too happy to find that the vegetables growing in my garden are starting to sound extraordinarily exciting to me. Sometimes, I even forgo bread with dinner, but don’t tell anyone, alright?
Last night’s simple dinner was the perfect vehicle for the gorgeous sugar snap peas I’m currently harvesting, and I’m reading about how they’re showing up at farmer’s markets everywhere, so you have no excuse not to make this delicious, and yes, light meal. Get more snap peas than the recipe calls for, and eat some raw, while you’re cooking. Yum! We threw some leftover salmon on top of this salad and it made a satisfying and colorful meal, although some bread would have been very nice with it . . . but the scale is creeping up, and it must come down. Too bad that second part isn’t as certain (and quick) as it is with gravity, darn it!
Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Spicy Sesame-Orange Dressing
Adapted from Cooking Light, June 2009
Dressing
1 large orange (organic, if possible, since you will use some of the peel)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce (I used regular soy sauce and it was fine)*
1½ teaspoons dark sesame oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon hot chile sauce (I used Sriracha, and next time will use just ¾ teaspoon.)
Wash and dry the orange. Grate 1 teaspoon rind and set aside. Squeeze 1/3 cup juice from the orange. Whisk orange juice, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar and chile sauce together in a small bowl.
Salad
2 teaspoons canola oil
1½ cups thinly sliced red bell pepper
¾ cup thinly sliced carrot
12 ounces sugar snap peas, washed and trimmed
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 green onions, sliced diagonally
6 ounces fresh baby spinach
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Heat 2 teaspoons canola oil over medium-high heat in a non-stick skillet. Add red pepper and carrot to pan. Saute 1 minute, stirring once or twice. Add the grated orange rind, along with the sugar snap peas and salt. Saute 2 minutes, stirring two or three times. Transfer the pea mixture to a large bowl and let cool for 5 minutes. Add the green onions and spinach. Add dressing and toss to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve. Serves 6 as a salad course or 3 as a main dish with salmon or chicken sliced on top.
*To make this gluten-free, be sure to use a wheat-free soy sauce, such as San-J brand.
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Excellent idea… we have lots of sugar snaps right now too! And I can soooooo relate to the bread abundance and a need for something lighter. All the butter and eggs of Brioche have me in overload.
Keep up the good work!
Devany, Hilo, HI