Sesame Broccoli Snap Pea Salad
When I got home from work this evening, I stopped at my little garden on the side of our home to see what I could gather for our dinner tonight. I was surprised to see that my broccoli was ready to pick and that I had a bunch of sugar snap peas on the vines. The cool wet weather we have had lately here in Southern Oregon has been perfect for my little garden!
Broccoli growing in the garden…
I’ve never been really successful at growing broccoli until this year. The broccoli heads were beautiful and I did not have any problems with aphids. I grow everything in my garden organically without the use of herbicides or chemical fertilizers. We compost as much of our kitchen scraps as possible and I rotate the plants every year. I believe that growing organic vegetables is better for you and tastes so much better than chemically treated vegetables.
Fresh picked broccoli
I found it interesting that the broccoli florets that I picked were not as dense or tightly packed as you would see with store bought broccoli. I’m not really sure why. Maybe it was the variety that I planted. Regardless, the broccoli tasted amazingly fresh and delicious!
With my fresh picked broccoli and sugar snap peas I decided to make an Asian inspired Sesame Broccoli Snap Pea Salad. My Sesame Broccoli Snap Pea Salad has fresh crunchy red bell pepper, bright red onions, sweet shredded carrots and tossed with a sweet and tangy sesame seed vinaigrette. Makes 4 servings. Enjoy! Tessa
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces broccoli florets (cut into bite sized pieces)
- 8 ounces sugar snap peas (cut in half)
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup diced red bell peppers
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 2 Tbs canola oil
- 1 Tbs Mirin (Japanese sweet cooking wine)
- 1 Tbs each black and white sesame seeds
- 1 Tbs rice wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- salt and white pepper to taste
Prepare your vegetables and set aside. Grab a 4 quart pot, fill with water and add a big pinch of salt. Put the pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Get another bowl and fill with ice cubes and water. Add broccoli to boiling water and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to ice water to stop cooking. Do the same with the sugar snap peas but cook only 1 minute.
Drain broccoli and snap peas and add to a mixing bowl. Add remaining vegetables. Grab a small bowl and whisk together the canola oil, Mirin, sesame seeds, rice wine vinegar, honey, garlic paste, salt and white pepper. Add to vegetable mixture and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
It’s wonderful that you can put this together from your garden!
Thank you! What’s cool about growing your own veggies is that you know exactly how they were handled… From seedling to plate!
This salad is so ful of healthy greens and delicious ingredients – what a stunning photography session too :D
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Thank you Uru! I really enjoy learning how to use my camera!
Your salad is so beautiful, the colours are so bright, it almost looks unreal… Congratulations for the brocoli harvest!
Thank you Sissi! I was thrilled with the result. I still have some left out in the garden waiting to be picked later.
how wonderful your pictures are! isn’t it wonderful to prepare and eat homegrown vegetables…
Thank you Michiko! I completely agree with in regard to homegrown vegetables. Thank you for stopping by!
Your salad looks awesome. Such a vibrant colour. simply yum yum :-)
Thank you Joanna! Quick blanching of the broccoli and snow peas makes the color even more vibrant.
This salad is what is so nice about growing your own vegetables! Pick it and eat it. With all those beautiful colors you know it’s full of vitamins and textures and taste! Love the addition of the Mirin. I just started keeping that in the fridge and love it! Great salad!
Thank you! Mirin is fast becoming one of my favorite ingredients to work with. I found that if I buy it from the local restaurant supply that I get more Mirin for less money than the traditional grocery store.
I hadn’t ever thought to include broccoli in a salad until a few years ago my then-boyfriend did so while preparing a meal. I loved cooked broccoli anyway, and now I also love it when it’s been cooled and added to a salad.
I often buy and cook extra broccoli if I’m cooking a hot meal one night, and then set aside and refridgerate some of the extra broccoli for a salad the next day/evening.
Hi Louise! I cook with a lot of broccoli because it is one of the few vegetables that my husband will eat without complaining :). I sometimes use leftover broccoli in soups, omelets and quiches. Broccoli is such a versatile vegetable. Thanks for stopping by!
Your garden bounty is so beautiful! I can’t wait to have a garden one day.
And I love that your photos really make the food shine!
Thank you! My garden may be really small but it does a great job of producing veggies. Yesterday I planted heirloom tomatoes in between the rows of lettuce. I can’t even wait until I get fresh tomatoes. Thanks for stopping by!
Wow, that photo is so vibrant so life like. It looks so appetizing.
Thank you Raymund! I’ve learned over the years that if I make the food pretty and with a bunch of colors, my family will eat it :).
This looks amazing! Beautiful photos and the flavors sound so good! Perfect summer salad!
Thank you Vicky!
Love your blog Tessa! I’m putting it on my sidebar! This salad looks very pretty. Makes me feel like I’m living in the arctic north knowing you’re picking veggies already!
Hi Hannah! Thank you! I need to do something like that too with the blogs that I subscribe to. I appreciate it!