Asian Inspired Noodle Rainbow Salad

Serves: 4

Note: add protein of your choice to round out the meal.

Time: 25 min

Ingredients:

• Box of THIN rice noodles (8.8oz)
• a bit over a quarter of a red bell pepper, sliced thinly (and cut in half)
• a bit over a quarter of an orange bell pepper, sliced thinly (and cut in half)
• a bit over a quarter of a green bell pepper, sliced thinly (and cut in half)
• Purple cabbage sliced thinly, one big handful once sliced.
• [use more carrots next time] 6 baby carrots sliced thinly
• one cucumber, peeled, cut in half, deseeded, and sliced thinly.
• a bunch of chopped green onion
• a bunch of chopped cilantro (at least half of a bunch)
• a bunch of chopped basil
• juice of 2 key limes
• equal amount of oil (olive or avocado) to lime juice
• slightly less fish sauce than lime juice
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar (add more after taste if need more zing)
• Start with 2 tbsp brown sugar, more per taste
• Pinch of salt
• 2 cloves of garlic

Steps:

1. Boil water (we used our tea kettle) – enough to cover the amount of rice noodles.
2. Put rice noodles in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Let sit for the duration of chopping veggies.
3. Slice thinly your red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, green bell pepper, purple cabbage, and baby carrots, put into a big bowl for serving.
4. Peel, deseed, and thinly slice your cucumber, put into your big serving bowl.
5. Use scissors to cut your green onions directly into your serving bowl.
6. Chop your cilantro and basil and put into the serving bowl.
7. If you are using a blender for the dressing, put the juice of the limes, the oil, fish sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, salt, and peeled garlic cloves in and blend. Taste and add brown sugar or rice vinegar as desired.
8. If you are not using a blender, chop all the of ingredients finely and mix well.
9. Drain your noodles and rinse with cold water until the noodles are cold.
10. Add the noodles and half of the salad dressing to the serving bowl.
11. Use tongs to mix.
12. Add more dressing as desired (we used a bit over 3/4 of the amount).