Use Up the Kale: an Asian Pasta Salad

I like waking up in the morning and going through the fridge to see what can be saved and prepared for the week. Say, if the sour cream is about to go bad, I unfreeze pierogies and prepare a sautéed spinach side. If the kale is starting to wilt? Well, about a hundred options. But since I only had one, lonely, oh so lovely leaf left, I decided to throw it into an Asian pasta salad that I like to prepare every so often. It is PACKED with celery (which I realise is very difficult to sell to some people- so take notes) and flavours: from the sweetness of the honey which balances perfectly with the rice wine vinegar, to the commonly adored toasted sesame oil. It is probably the first time this year that I do not promote 10 or more garlic cloves in a recipe, but it is simply because it makes it last longer in the fridge if you use red onions for bulk salads (not a scientific fact, just something I noticed: the garlic starts making the entire dish smell and it is very hard to scrub off of the container). So again, think twice before you toss those last greens out of the fridge, they have so many uses!

You will need,

Rice wine vinegar (1 tbsp)

Honey (1 tbsp)

Sesame oil (3 tbsp)

Ginger powder (1/2 tbsp)

Soy sauce (2 tbsp)

These are estimates, I love pouring straight into the pot!

Kale (I only had 1 leaf left, if you chop very thinly you can add so much more)

Pasta of your choice (3 cups at least, macaroni and bow-ties are great too)

Red onions (I used 3 tiny ones, I would do 1 regular or 2 shallots)

Sesame seeds (2 tbsp at the very least)

Scallions (2, but I would go for 4!)

Celery (4 + stalks)

I'll spare you the details. You cook the pasta and you throw everything together. The raw vegetables add a crunch and are seasoned enough with the dressing that you could convince even a child (or a picky grown man) of going for that raw celery. Just remember to slice very thinly and once you drain the pasta, throw it back into the pot so you have enough space to mix everything together! A common mistake is to use a bowl that is too small for the quantity of food to mix: the bigger the better!