Cold Asian Noodle Salad

Summer heat is at its peak (it was over 100 degrees in Minnesota last weekend) and sometimes its just too hot to do much of anything, especially cook. Luckily this cold noodle salad is super refreshing and doesn't require much work beyond boiling water and cutting fresh veggies. Sometimes cold noodle dishes can feel like leftovers that haven't been reheated, but this is more of a traditional salad packed with a ton of raw, crisp vegetables and tossed with a spicy Asian dressing. It's the perfect thing to eat on a warm summer evening and leftovers make great lunches for the rest of the week.


Cold Asian Noodle Salad:
For Dressing

• Whisk together 1/3 c. rice wine vinegar, 1/3 c. canola oil, 1 tbsp. Sriracha, and 1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil.
• Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

For Salad

• Slice 1 large cucumber, 1 bell pepper, and 1 bunch of carrots into matchstick size pieces.*
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add in 10 oz. soba noodles, and cook until al dente, about 4 minutes.
• Drain immediately and pour cold water on top until noodles are cold.
• Toss noodles with dressing, the vegetables, 3 thinly sliced scallions, 1 handful of roughly chopped cilantro, and 1 tbsp. sesame seeds.**
• Divide into bowls and serve.

Serves four

*Try to keep the size and quantity the same of all the veggies.

**I also added 1 cooked, shredded chicken breast to my fiance's bowl before tossing.