ASIAN FUSION BLUEBERRY BLAST NOODLE SALAD WITH PEA PODS AND PISTACHIOS

Ingredients

The Dressing:

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup rice wine vinegar

¼ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons peanut butter

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons fresh ginger root, peeled and minced

2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 jalapeno pepper, minced (including seeds for spice!)

The Salad:

1 pound dry linguini pasta (or your favorite shape)

2 cups pea pods, stringed

3 cups fresh blueberries

1 cup salted pistachios, shelled and rough chopped

2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chopped

¾ cup scallions, chopped

2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

Combine all of the dressing ingredients in the bottom of a large bowl and whisk vigorously until smooth.

Cook the pasta in salted water, according to package directions, until al dente in texture. Add the pea pods to the pasta water just before draining and let them blanch for 30 seconds until they are bright green in color and still crisp in texture. Drain the pasta and pea pods completely in a colander. Shake out any excess moisture.

Add the warm pasta and pea pods to the bowl with the dressing and toss until the linguini is fully coated in the dressing. Add the blueberries, ¾ cup of the pistachios, mint, basil, ½ cup scallions, and 1 teaspoon of the sesame seeds to the bowl and continue tossing until everything is evenly coated and incorporated.

Place the noodle salad in a serving bowl and top with the remaining ¼ cup each of the pistachios and scallions. Garnish with the remaining teaspoon of sesame seeds. Serve either at room temperature or chill for 3 hours or more and serve cold.

‘Grab a Boost of Blue’, to me, means that a handful of blueberries can boost immunity, brain health, cognitive function, and so much more. Blueberries are the perfect, delicious healthy snack that are nutrient dense – the perfect little pops of flavor to eat your way to healthy aging.