Walnut Miso Noodles with Spring Vegetables

I spotted this recipe over at 101Cookbooks and had to try. This past weekend brought just the occasion -- a potluck with the theme "Winter is over (hopefully)". The noodles seemed like a fitting dish, featuring some spring vegetables and also continuing my Asian kick a week after my travels. (What can I say, it's a touch eating habit to kick ;) )

The noodles were a hit, and a wallet-friendly dish. You can top the noodles with anything your little heart desires. I followed Heidi's lead on this and lightly sauteed some red chard stems that were absolutely beautiful, some spring onions, asparagus and toasted walnuts. And I have a bit of the dressing to spare, making it easy to whip up a batch during the week. Since you can top with anything you'd like, it's a fantastic way to feature certain vegetables or toppings.

The key to these noodles is the dressing. Mine came out like a slightly saltier version of a peanut sauce ... similar in texture. Absolutely delicious though, and seemingly healthy.

My only subs to Heidi's recipe were a) tripling the recipe b) adding a few thai bird chilis to the sauce and c) using Japanese vermicelli - a purplish brown noodle that really stood out. Other than that, recipe's pretty straightforward, and quick to make with a little multi-tasking with the food processor.







Have other ideas for toppings or variations? I'd love to hear them. Leave your recipe tweak in the comments :)