Fresh Asian Noodle Salad

This one! Oh my! It is so delicious and perfect for summer. The fresh vegetables, the light and fresh taste, it's an easy weeknight supper and great lunchtime leftover. Extremely flexible on veggie preference and it's naturally free (or can be free ) of so many common allergens: gluten, dairy, soy, sugar, eggs, nuts! 

Enjoy the last days of summer! 

Fresh Asian Noodle Salad - Soy free! 

Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Rice Noodles - doesn't matter the size of noodle.  I like them all! This one was just slightly thicker than a vermicelli noodle.  For this recipe, I only used 1/2 a package of noodles (Keep in mind as the dressing might need to be doubled for larger batches)
Olive oil or coconut oil, as needed
Veggies of Choice - this one has broccoli, yellow beans, red pepper, cabbage, asparagus, green peas, and carrots - as much as you want! 
Sesame seeds, hemp seeds, cashews, peanuts (optional) for garnish

Sauce Ingredients: (I tend to not measure, ever, so if these seem off to you, just adjust by adding more of the things you like. It's forgiving)
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp roasted sesame oil
1 tbsp liquid sweetener of choice (maple syrup here)
1-1.5 tbsp liquid coconut aminos
1 tsp minced garlic or garlic powder
1 tsp minced ginger or ginger powder
Dash of hot pepper flakes
Dash of pepper and salt as per taste

What to do:

1) Chop all veggies. Heat a wok or large pan with a bit of oil. Add crunchiest veggies first - carrots and broccoli here. Add a bit of water to help in the cooking process, more so steam frying, but it helps. Just a tbsp of water at a time, to avoid overcooking too fast. You still want to see some grill marks as they cook so they're full of flavour. Add less crunchier veggies every 3-5 minutes, such as bean and cabbage next. Then red pepper, asparagus, and green peas last so they don't get too soft. Once they taste just how you like them, remove from heat.

2) Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil to cook rice noodle according to package.  Rice noodles shouldn't take long to cook, 1-3 minutes usually, so watch very closely, stirring to avoid sticking.  Once cooked, drain, rinse with cold water, and drizzle with olive oil to avoid sticking. 

3) Prepare sauce by combining ingredients together in a bowl and whisk together. Simple. Add in veggies and noodle. Mix well to evenly combine. This is a great meal. Can be served hot or cold. Tastes excellent the next day as a cool lunch. Full of flavour and health. Boost it's protein content by adding cashews, peanuts, or hemp seeds on top. Enjoy!