bok choy + cold noodle salad with thai basil tahini dressing

I almost always cook bok choy but lately I have been obsessed with eating it raw as a salad green. I always get baby bok choy too, because it is mild and easy to eat. I love that it has sturdy green leaves and a crunchy stem but it's much more tender than kale, and just as nutritious.

This salad is easy and light but tasty enough to be the center of a meal. Here I've topped it with cashew pieces and furikake (seaweed and sesame seeds). The dressing is a new take on an oldie from the blog, on my tahini trifecta post. This recipe makes more than enough dressing for this salad, which means you'll have a tasty condiment for the rest of the week!

Thai basil tahini dressing

• 1 cup Thai basil leaves
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 Tbsp miso paste
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/2 lime (or just the juice from 1/2 lime, I like to peel it and throw the whole thing in!)
• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp raw sugar
• 1/2 cup water

Throw everything into a high speed blender and blend on high until silky smooth.

As for the rest of the salad:

• ~1 pound of baby bok choy (you konw me, I don't measure things like greens, the more the better!)
• 2oz package of bean thread noodles (this is a single serve package, sometimes they come in larger packages but are usually separated into 2oz "nests" of noodles)
• 1/2 cup dressing 🖕🏼
• something crunchy to throw on top: pumpkin seeds, cashews, peanuts, furikake, etc. 

Cook the bean threads as directed. When they are done, drain them in a colander and run under cold water to cool. I chopped my noodles so they wound toss better as a salad but this is up to you. Another thing to take into consideration is the ratio of greens to noodles. I like more greens than noodles, but if you'd rather double the noodles or half the greens to change up this ratio, just do what you like!

Rinse the baby bok choy and trim the ends. Chop into 1/2" strips. Toss the noodles, bok choy, and dressing until all is combined and coated with dressing. Top with whatever you want -- tofu, marinated portabello mushrooms? Oh, yum, that sounds gooooood.