Chilled Noodle Salad with Ginger Wasabi Dressing – Cooking with Catelli

What’s old is new again – at least when it comes to eating grains. Catelli Foods Corporation shared this message with us at a recent event here in Calgary. Several bloggers & food writers were invited to attend a one on one cooking demo with Canadian Celebrity Chef Lynn Crawford and Catelli Foods. The evening started with us sampling some tasty snacks from the SAIT Culinary Campus and watching Chef Crawford whip up two pasta dishes. Each pasta dish was passed around for us to sample. The demo was fun, entertaining, and we quickly learned Chef Crawford has quite the sense of humour. While we ate, Chef Crawford moved into making a delicious Chilled Noodle Salad with Ginger Wasabi Dressing. Once she was finished her demo we all donned chef hats and aprons, and picked a cooking station to get started making our own delicious salad. The evening concluded with photos and swag bags.

Catelli^® Healthy Harvest^® Ancient Grains pasta blends 100 per cent Canadian whole wheat with five wholesome ancient grains: quinoa, teff, amaranth, millet and sorghum. Certified GMO-free (NON GMO Project Verified), Catelli^® Healthy Harvest^® Ancient Grains pasta is available in three cuts –  Spaghetti, Spaghettini and Rotini.

The health benefits of eating 100 per cent whole grain wheat have been touted for years, but what makes the other grains so healthy? Here’s the ancient secret:

Quinoa: Dating back to the 13^th century South American Inca Empire, quinoa is high in fibre, protein and minerals – including magnesium, potassium, zinc and iron – and low on the glycemic index.

Amaranth: Native to the Americas and prized by Aztec civilization, amaranth is rich in protein, containing all the essential amino acids, key vitamins, and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and iron.

Teff:  Originating in Ethiopia and Eritrea between 4,000 BCE and 1,000 BCE, this poppy seed-sized grain is high in protein, fibre, calcium, thiamin and iron.

Sorghum: Domesticated in Northeastern Africa more than 5,000 years ago, sorghum – a good source of vitamin B6, riboflavin, thiamin and magnesium – is known to support digestive health, help fight cardiovascular disease and help control blood sugar levels.

Millet: Cultivated 4,000 years ago from wild West African grass, this nutty-flavoured grain is known to be heart healthy, containing a high level of protein, magnesium and niacin. Alkalizing to the body, millet is considered one of the most digestible and non-allergenic grains available.

Catelli® Healthy Harvest® Ancient Grains pasta retails for $3.29 and is available at major retailers in Western Canada.

Chilled Noodle Salad with Ginger Wasabi Dressing

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes

Total Time: 18 minutes minutes

Course: dinner, lunch, picnic

Servings: 4

Author: Lynn Crawford

Ingredients

• 1 pkg 340 g Catelli Healthy Harvest Ancient Grains Spaghettini
• 2 cups snow peas thinly sliced diagonally
• 1 cup shelled edamame
• 1 small English cucumber
• 2 cups napa cabbage finely shredded
• 1 cup red pepper cut into matchsticks
• 3 green onions thinly sliced
• 1 ripe avocado sliced
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• 2 tbsp black sesame seeds

Instructions

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain well. Rinse under cold water until well chilled; transfer to large bowl and set aside.
• In a pot of boiling water, cook snow peas and edamame until tender-crisp. Drain and rinse under cold water until well chilled; set aside.
• Meanwhile, halve the cucumber lengthwise and use the end of a spoon to scoop and discard seeds; cut cucumber into julienne strips.
• Ginger-Wasabi Dressing: Whisk together rice vinegar, canola oil, soy sauce, lemon juice and zest, brown sugar, sesame oil and ginger. Season with wasabi to taste.
• Add cucumber, snow peas, edamame, napa cabbage, red pepper, green onions and avocado to noodles; toss with enough dressing to coat.
• Garnish with cilantro leaves and black sesame seeds.
• Tip: If you have time, you can chill the noodle dish by refrigerating for 1 to 4 hours.

Notes

To make Ginger-Wasabi Dressing whisk together 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar, 3 tbsp canola oil, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp lemon zest, 2 tsp brown sugar, 2 tsp sesame oil, and 1 tsp grated fresh ginger. Add wasabi to taste.