Well, Poppy and Shelby continue to get along just fine and the weather continues to be amazing here at Sideways Cottage. We still can’t believe how far we’ve come from the first few weeks after little Shelby Underfoote arrived. And just look how patient Poppy is with Shelby now!

On another note, James came across this recipe in the NYT food section on the weekend and wanted to try it, so I gave it a shot last evening. The salad was excellent at room temperature for dinner, but even better cold from the fridge today!

Before making the salad, I read through the comments and made a number of adjustments based on various commenters’ recommendations. First off, I reduced the noodles from 454 grams to 340 grams. I also switched the snow peas for thinly sliced cabbage and added the crispy tofu for protein. Some commenters indicated that the sauce needed a bit of sweetness, so I subbed out half the soy sauce for sweet soy sauce. I also added a 1/2 teaspoon of MSG rather than salt because I wanted umami without adding more saltiness. Finally, I added peanuts and cilantro to the recommended garnishes of green onions and sesame seeds. The result is sublime–truly the best noodle salad I’ve ever tasted.

Vegetable Noodle Salad with Crispy Tofu

Serves four (at least!)

First off make a batch of this crispy tofu–this is optional, of course, but will make the salad into more of a meal.

Next, for the sauce, blend together in the Magic Bullet:

• 1⁄4 cup soy sauce
• 1⁄4 cup sweet soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons grated peeled ginger
• 1 teaspoon grated garlic
• 1/2 tsp MSG or salt (optional)

For the noodles, cook according to directions and drain (keeping back 3/4 cup of the pasta water):

• 250 grams chow mein or ramen noodles

Place noodles in a large bowl and mix in 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water and half of the sauce.

For the vegetables, saute in a lightly oiled cast-iron pan or wok:

• 1/2 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 red or yellow medium bell peppers, cored, seeded and sliced lengthwise 1⁄8-inch thick
• 4 ounces cabbage, thinly sliced

Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and pepper as you saute. After the vegetables have sauteed for about ten minutes, deglaze the pan with the rest of the reserved pasta water and the rest of the sauce. Add to the pan:

• 4 ounces grape tomatoes, halved

Continue to saute the vegetables until the pan is deglazed and the tomatoes are soft.

Add the vegetables to the bowl with the noodles and combine well with tongs.

Serve at room temperature, but the salad is even better after being refrigerated overnight.

Top with the crispy tofu and garnish with:

• sliced green onions
• sesame seeds
• peanuts
• chopped fresh cilantro

Delicious!

And the song of the day is Waxahatchee’s “The Streets of Philadelphia” because Bob recommended it to me a couple of days ago.