Summer Recipe

Cold Noodle Salad with Veggies and Peanut Dressing

This dish is perfect for hot summer days. I made this after work in 30 minutes. Feel free to swap out veggies or change the ratios. I bet blanched green beans would be delicious in here as well as sauteed squash.

It's great over a bed of baby lettuce or arugula- we ate this for dinner and then lunch the next day.. all gone.

Dressing Ingredients:

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (I use natural, but any should be fine- including chunky)

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/3 cup warm water

1 T ginger, minced

1 medium clove garlic, minced 

2 T rice vinegar

1 1/2 T sesame oil

1 T honey or agave

1 tsp hot sauce (or a pinch of cayenne)

Puree everything in a blender for a minute. I use an immersion blender to whir everything together.

Salad Ingredients:

3/4 lb soba or udon noodles (feel free to swap out specialty noodles for spaghetti)

3 thinly sliced scallions 

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced 

1 cucumber, seeded and thinly sliced 

1 carrot, sliced into ribbons with a veggie peeler

kernels from one ear of corn, no need to cook it 

3 T sesame seed for garnish

Cook the pasta according to directions on the package. Drain and rinse the pasta with cold water.

While the pasta cooks, chop veggies and make the dressing.

Throw it all together in a big bowl, using tongs to combine dressing with the salad ingredient. 

Serve on a bed of lettuce and garnish with sesame seeds. Voila!