Spring Eats: Farm Fresh Vietnamese Squash Noodle Salad

I will admit, one of the things I miss about my brief stint as a Yankee was a legitimate form of Springtime.  Most of the South seems to miss that blissful phenomenon and go from Winter to Summer seemingly overnight.  Now that the sun has finally returned to our lives, it’s time to transition from comforting, richly warm meals to the cooler and more refreshing bites of the season.

One of my favorite personal cooking challenges these days is to make a complete meal using only the ingredients from my glorious weekly CSA box from The Dirt Farmers.  I try to only allow myself the use of spices and condiments that were purchased elsewhere, and see where the seasonal produce takes me!  We are so fortunate in Georgia to have access to amazing fresh produce grown year-round and an emerging abundance of local small farmers from whom to purchase this goodness and seed money straight back into our communities.

This week, I found myself staring thoughtfully at a spaghetti squash.  Most of the recipes you see done with this particular squash involve some sort of healthy substitute for normal spaghetti noodles – olive oil, garlic, parsley, etc. I was really feeling something chilled on a hot day, so I decided to use the squash in a Vietnamese-inspired cold salad instead.  With that in mind, I give you something guaranteed to satiate your spring flavor cravings.

Vietnamese Chilled Veggie “Noodle” Salad (serves 4 as a side, 2 as a small meal)

• 1 spaghetti squash, 2-3lbs
• 4-5 red cabbage leaves, shredded
• 1 green stalk from a baby onion (sub scallions if you don’t have access to that), sliced thinly
• 2 carrots, julienned (yes, I was lazy and just chopped mine)
• equal parts rice wine vinegar and sesame oil
• small red Thai bird chili, sliced fine

– Cut off the stem end of the spaghetti squash and slice it in half lengthwise, then scoop out the guts (SAVE THE SEEDS! You can roast them just like pumpkin seeds. Yum).

– Cook the spaghetti squash by your preferred method. You can actually cook these bad boys in the microwave by placing them in a microwave-safe dish cut side down, pouring a little water around them, and throwing them in on high for 10-12 minutes.  I realized as I was prepping this that I haven’t actually plugged my microwave in since I moved last year, so I used the oven method instead.  It’s the same deal with the pan and the water, except in this case you cover them with foil so they steam more easily and bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees or until the flesh is soft and comes away easily.  Either way, let the squash cool a bit before scraping out the noodly innards. Use this time to prep your veg.

– Combine the rice wine vinegar and sesame oil in a bowl.  Use however much you would like to dress the salad – I did approximately 1/4 cup of each.  Add in however much of the chili you want and let it infuse into the mix for a little bit.  PROCEED WITH CAUTION!  This stuff is no joke.  I have a reputation for eating things that would strip the paint off a car, and 5 small slices of this pepper was enough to make my tongue go a little numb.  If you want to play it safe, maybe add some Sriracha (to taste) instead.

– Then just mix it all together! When you add the red cabbage to the still warm squash noodles, the leaves will change from that sort of dusty greenish purple to a beautiful royal purple hue.  Once you’ve got everything tossed up, let it chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes to cool it down and bring all the flavors together.

– Serve it up and enjoy the crunchy goodness!  FYI Everything except the oil, vinegar, and chili in this dish came courtesy of the lovely folks at The Dirt Farmers.  Check em out!