Absolutely Amazing Asian Noodle Salad

A lot of my female fellow bloggers follow a cooking blog called The Pioneer Woman, and that’s where I got this recipe from... Kind of! The Pioneer Woman actually got the recipe from The Naked Chef (can you tell why I wanted to try it?!) and adapted it to her tastes, calling it her "Favorite Salad Ever". I also adapted it slightly and I have to say, this is one fantastic tasting dish. It’s fresh, it’s delicious, it's simple, and the colors are amazing. The great thing about it is that you can use whatever vegetables are in season or just the ones you like; you could substitute cashews for the peanuts, soba noodles for the udon noodles, and so on. Run, don't walk, to the kitchen to make this one!

Asian Noodle Salad (serves 2)

1 bunch of udon noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled
1/4 head sliced purple or napa cabbage
1/4 bag baby spinach
1 whole red bell pepper (or can use multi-colored orange, yellow, etc.)
½ c. bean sprouts
1-2 green onions, chopped
1 carrot, sliced thinly like matchsticks
1/4 c. chopped dry roasted peanuts
chopped cilantro (optional)

For the Dressing:
½ lime, juiced
4 T. extra virgin olive oil
4 T. reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 T. Sesame oil
3 T. Brown sugar
1 T. chopped ginger
1 clove garlic, chopped
A squirt of sriracha sauce for some heat!

Mix salad ingredients together. Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve platter.