Asian Bow Ties

The weather here has been really nice. Sunny, slightly breezy, warm in the sun yet cool in the shade. Perfect, really. San Clemente's motto is "The world's best climate" and I definitely agree. :)

The boys' Taekwondo studio held their annual picnic on May 1st at Rancho San Clemente Park. It couldn't have been a better day for a picnic and the location was great, too. The park had a huge playground, a volleyball court, a large grassy area for the Demo Team to perform their routine and a paved area for the kids to ride bikes, scooters or skateboards. An awesome location for sure.

The Grand Master provided kalbi (similar to Korean BBQ Beef) and everyone else brought a side dish to share. I love enjoying a nice pasta salad at picnics so I made a bow tie pasta salad with an Asian flare to complement the kalbi. It was delicious!

Bow Ties with veggies and sesame dressing.

Asian Bow Ties

Yield: 10+ servings

Ingredients: 

• 17.6 oz Farfalle (Bow Tie pasta)
• 1 c shredded carrots
• 1 c shredded broccoli, red cabbage and carrot mix
• 1/2 c snow peas
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• Oriental flavor Ramen package*
• Sesame dressing, to taste (I used about 1/3 c)

Directions:

1. Bring large pot of water to full boil.
2. Add pasta and stir often to keep pasta from sticking.
3. When pasta is al dente, drain. Run cold water over pasta and add ice cubes to keep pasta from continuing to cook. Remove ice when pasta has cooled off.
4.  Make sure pasta is fully drained before adding to large bowl.
5. Add veggies and toss. 
6. With ramen still in packaging, crumble up the dry ramen noodles. Once the pieces are small enough, add to pasta. *Add dry ramen just before serving so it stays crunchy.
7. Add dressing and toss to coat. 

Sesame Dressing

Yield: ~ 6 oz

Ingredients:

• 2 tbs sesame oil
• 3 tbs sugar
• 6 tbs rice vinegar
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• salt and pepper to taste (or use Top Ramen Flavor seasoning packet)

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients in a container with lid. One with a pour spout works great.
2. Shake well and keep refrigerated. 
3. This dressing keeps well in the fridge. Perfect on salads, pasta, veggies, on rice or as a marinade. ENJOY!