sarah, maybe pasta is no-go, but my simplest Asian recipe was always WICKED popular: al dente linguini run under cold water briefly (so it's still warm)and tossed with sesame oil, then S and P and a little soy sauce; add minced red pepper and scallion. Something about the sesame oil....!
sarah, an important question- what else is being served?! wouldn't want, for instance, to detail an asian dish if the main dishes are mediterranean.........
Good point! I'm cooking for my son and his college basketball team. They're pretty "conservative" eaters but all about protein. So I am making the Mark Bittman coconut-braised beef stew but not telling them it's made with coconut. I can bring it to the game (seven hours from home) and reheat it on my portable burner.
I used roasted almond slivers from Trader Joe's rather than hazelnuts, and real dried cranberries rather than Craisins. The first time I made this dish I used Trader Joe's raisin medley. It's a great recipe and very forgiving. You can adjust the vinaigrette to your taste.
I love this one that uses wheat berries, scallions, feta, and grapes. You can omit the chicken if you like...it has a very well-balanced honey-lemon dressing, and is meant to be served cold (or at room temp): http://pinchofyum.com/honey-chicken-salad-with-grapes-and-feta
I don't know what else is on the menu, but this room temperature rice salad is very refreshing:
https://food52.com/recipes/22143-coconut-confetti-rice-salad
Here's one that's lovely at various temperatures, including room temp. Introduced to me years ago by a friend who was a very fine cook, and died of cancer at about 40, so of course I think of her every time I make it.
This rice and vegetable salad has a lovely mix of savory and sweet (olives, shallots, other veg, a few currants) and is optimally a summer dish. If you can't get some of the summer veg and it's winter where you live, sub another. It's very good, and very easy.
It's in the Silver Palate (original) cookbook, and here online:
http://foodspring.com/content/silver-palate-rice-and-vegetable-salad/
I love this Radish & Pecan Grain Salad. Maybe you can this as a template and tweak to your liking. It's very good at warm temperature. You could simply multiply the ingredients and read the comments for further suggestions . https://food52.com/recipes/9110-radish-and-pecan-grain-salad
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http://food52.com/recipes/18012-quinoa-salad-with-hazelnuts-apple-and-dried-cranberries
I used roasted almond slivers from Trader Joe's rather than hazelnuts, and real dried cranberries rather than Craisins. The first time I made this dish I used Trader Joe's raisin medley. It's a great recipe and very forgiving. You can adjust the vinaigrette to your taste.
https://food52.com/recipes/22143-coconut-confetti-rice-salad
This rice and vegetable salad has a lovely mix of savory and sweet (olives, shallots, other veg, a few currants) and is optimally a summer dish. If you can't get some of the summer veg and it's winter where you live, sub another. It's very good, and very easy.
It's in the Silver Palate (original) cookbook, and here online:
http://foodspring.com/content/silver-palate-rice-and-vegetable-salad/