Sesame Pea Shoot Salad

I made this recipe last year when I didn't know what to do with the pea shoots from my CSA. I am not the type of person to go crazy for dressing, in fact I would rather have my greens dry, but there are always exceptions and this is one instance. The salad has a sesame oil dressing that is sweet and light. I found this recipe on Epicurious, but changed the recipe to what I had around, which was pea shoots, sugar snap peas, and frozen peas. If you don't have pea shoots, don't worry just use the sugar snap peas and add some other vegetables like green beans and asparagus. Click here for original recipe.

Here are the ingredients for Sesame Pea Shoot Salad adapted from Gourmet Magazine June 1994:
-2 cups sugar snap peas
-1/2 fresh or frozen green peas
-4 cups pea shoots, washed well and spun dry (I am estimating)
-1/2 tablespoon brown sugar, firmly packed
-2 teaspoons sesame seeds, lightly toasted
-2 teaspoons soy sauce
-1 tablespoon rice vinegar
-1 tablespoon Asian (toasted) sesame oil

To begin, bring water to a boil in a medium pot. Cook sugar snap peas for two minutes then add green peas and boil for an additional minute. Drain peas in a colander and rinse in cold water. Set aside and either pat with a paper towel or air dry.
Meanwhile lightly toast sesame seeds.
Chop your pea shoots into manageable pieces. My only complaint with pea shoots is that you might feel a bit like a rabbit eating them! Also, make sure you thoroughly washed the shoots because dirt and insects can get trapped in the blooms.
To make the dressing, combine brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, and sesame seeds. Whisk until sugar has dissolved.
Combine peas and pea shoots and toss with dressing. I used only half the dressing, but feel free to use it all.

Note: I usually prepare the salad and let chill in the refrigerator and then toss with dressing at the time I plan to serve it (just so the vegetables stay crisp). Enjoy!