Mathildas Salad | Joy of Yum

Mathilda’s Salad

In case you hadn’t noticed, I love salads and this one is a winner. My son, John, and his wife, Mathilda, own Strong Adolfo’s Cafe, a brilliant stop for freshly made food and superb coffee on the Atlantic Highway just outside Wadebridge, Cornwall. Mathilda’s cakes are glorious, tasty delights and often quite wonderful to behold. Mathilda is also a fabulous cook. This noodle salad is my take on something that is a favorite in her home. The amounts for the vegetables and salad are really just a rough guide. Be playful and use what is in your fridge. I grate the ginger and garlic using my trusty Microplane. I gave one to Mathilda and it has become one of her favorite kitchen tools.

Uh oh! The noodles are not truly a whole food but the salad is packed with healthy vegetables so I think it is OK to eat this salad as a treat!

Ingredients

Serves: 2
Time: 30 minutes

100 grams, 3½ oz wide rice glass noodles
100 grams, 3½ oz mangetout or snow peas
Couple of pinches of salt
2 – 3 spring onions (green onions) or a big bunch of chives
½ red chilli pepper, finely chopped (use less if you are cautious with chilies)
½ cucumber
½ red pepper, cut into thin slices
1 small courgette, zucchini
1 – 2 handfuls of rocket salad greens or mache (lambs lettuce)
1 handful of cashew nuts, chopped
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon black onion seeds

Dressing

3 tablespoons tamari or shoyu
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar
Thumb size piece of ginger, finely grated
Clove of garlic, finely chopped

What to do

1. Bring a medium and small sized pan of water to the boil, and add a pinch of sea salt to each pan.

2. Boil the noodles in the medium sized pan according to the instructions on the packet. Take care not to overcook them.

3 When the noodles are cooked, drain and rinse well in cold water. Rinsing in cold water prevents the noodles from sticking together and forming a gooey mess.

4. Slice the mangetout lengthwise and blanch in the small pan of boiling water for a minute or two. Drain and run under cold water. Set aside.

5. Grate the ginger and finely chop the garlic and place in the bottom of a large bowl. Add the remaining dressing ingredients and whisk everything together.

6. Finely chop the chilli pepper and slice the spring onions, add to the bowl.

7. Using a potato peeler, make long ribbons of cucumber and courgette. Add to the bowl along with the rice noodles, mangetout and red pepper.

9. Add the rocket salad greens (or mache), sprinkle with the seeds and toss everything together.  Top with cashew nuts and serve immediately.

Whole Food Plant Based Lifestyle Tip: The cashews in this low calorie salad provides sufficient essential fat which allows the absorption of the nutrients from the vegetables.

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