Asian Noodle Salad

This salad is addictive. Like addictive in the same way that Pringles are addictive. Like once you start, you won't want to stop until you have literally finished everything and licked your fork... and maybe the bowl.

This may seem meaningless coming from someone who clearly already loves salads (see my other salad posts) so I'll put this in perspective: I packed my rugby-playing boyfriend this salad for lunch and the first thing he said when he came home today was "We've gotta make that salad again." A true sign that this salad has magical powers of being deceptively healthy.

The recipe was inspired by one posted by The Pioneer Woman. I've kept the main ingredients largely the same, but my version adds eggs, peanuts, sesame seeds, Sriracha, rice wine vinegar and fish sauce and uses considerably less oil, soy sauce and sugar. So you can feel that much better about eating it.

And it’s already ridiculously healthy to start with! You are getting a huge boost of vitamins A, B6, C, E and K as well as fiber with the baby spinach, napa cabbage, red cabbage, bell peppers, sprouts, grated ginger and garlic. This is strengthening your immune system, bone development and vision as well as helping regulate your blood sugar. All that with only a handful of calories. The red cabbage also contains the antioxidant flavonoid anthocyanin. They are the same dark pigment, which gives blueberries and other dark berries their antioxidant properties. Antocyanin has shown to fight oxidation of cells, which leads to cell aging, cancer and inflammation. This makes it great for improving cardiovascular health.



Recipe

Salad
½ package (225 g) linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed with cold water, cooled
½ bag baby spinach (or more)
1 small head napa cabbage, shredded
2 cups red cabbage, shredded
2 cups bean sprouts (or more)
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
3 spring onions, finely sliced (or more)
1 cucumber, sliced into small sticks
2-3 eggs, beaten
1 bundle cilantro, chopped (not a fan? Try thai basil instead for fresh note)
1/3 cup peanuts, chopped (garnish)
1-2 T. sesame seeds, toasted (garnish)

Dressing
Juice of 1 lime
2-3 T. soy sauce (reduced sodium if you want to make it healthier)
5-6 T. rice wine vinegar
4-5 T. olive oil
2-3 T. brown sugar
1-2 tsp. sesame oil (strong flavor sp be careful if you don’t love it!)
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2- to 3-inch chunk fresh ginger, peeled grated
1 T. fish sauce
1 tsp. Sriracha (optional, to taste)
1 jalapeno (pickled or seeds removed), finely diced (optional,  to taste)

In a large serving bowl, combine noodles, vegetables and cilantro. In a nonstick frying pan on medium heat, create thin crepe-like egg pancakes by pouring in small amounts of egg and swirling to coat the bottom. No oil is needed, but make sure the pan is hot. Repeat until all the mixture is gone, doing about three to five batches total. Roll pancakes into cylinders and slice into thin strips. Add to salad. Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Toss salad, plate and sprinkle with peanuts and toasted sesame seeds. Serve with extra lime.