Cold Sesame Noodle Salad

Serves 4-6
Vegan

This is one of those dishes that gets better and better the longer you leave it in the refrigerator. Double up on the ingredients, and eat it throughout the week with sautéed tofu ( The Best Tofu EVER) or straight from the bowl.

1 box of long noodles (I like Japanese soba, or long buckwheat, but use spaghetti or angel hair if you like)
3 large carrots, shredded
1 large English cucumber (English ones are seedless), cut into very thin strips
1 large red bell pepper, cut into very thin strips (or shredded)
3 or 4 green onions, chopped
¾ cup of peanut butter (I like chunky)
2 or 3 spoonfuls of mustard (I like grainy brown mustard)
½ cup of soy sauce
sesame oil
rice vinegar (about ½ cup)
brown sugar (a few spoonfuls)
the hot sauce of your choice
3 or 4 limes, juice and zest
1 bunch of fresh cilantro (if you don’t like cilantro, you can use parsley), chopped
A bunch of fresh mint, chopped
salt & pepper

Boil your noodles.

While the noodles boil, shred the carrots, and cut your cucumber, bell pepper, and green onion.

In a large mixing bowl, add the peanut butter, the mustard, the soy sauce, a bunch of sesame oil, the rice vinegar, the brown sugar, the hot sauce, and the juice and zest of the limes. Whisk everything together and taste it. Don’t worry if the sauce is strong or really salty. It should be. Remember, this sauce is going to coat all of those bland, tasteless noodles. If the sauce is too thick, add a little warm water, or some more vinegar.

When the noodles are done, drain them and add them to the sauce. Add the shredded and chopped veggies and chopped fresh herbs too, and mix everything together. There should be enough sauce to coat everything, but if there isn’t, add more sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, or lime juice.

TASTE IT! This should taste really fresh, and nutty, and earthy. Continue to add the ingredients you like best until it is exactly the way you want it. (If you want more peanut butter, do not add it to the noodles without loosening it up first with a little water or soy sauce. Otherwise, it will be too thick and impossible to incorporate.)

Try serving this salad over a bed of fresh spinach and add some tofu for a balanced meal.