Noodle Night

I don't often miss the processed foods of my pre-Paleo lifestyle. It's been a long time since I looked longingly at a Twinkie. A fresh bag of barbecue potato chips doesn't hold much appeal for me anymore. One thing I do miss from time to time, though? Noodles. Pasta. A little pile of tangled up spaghetti topped with garlic and anchovy-laden home-made sauce. A steaming bowl of Vietnamese Pho topped with fresh herbs. A cardboard container packed with Lo Mein. So delicious, but so not worth the icky feelings that come with all those grain-based noodles. 

Did you know you could make noodles out of vegetables? If noodles are what you're craving, pop over to your favorite culinary store (or head over to Amazon) and get yourself a julienne vegetable peeler. Essentially just a regular vegetable peeler that has a number of small additional blades that transform the veggies sitting in your fridge into delicious silky noodles in a flash. And the best part? If you use cucumber and carrot like I did, you don't even need to cook them...try to contain your excitement!

Veggie time - chop up that scallion into the daintiest little slivers you can manage. It's not much, but it adds a layer of flavor to this dish.

Pretty colors - I love using this sturdy pottery bowl for salads.

Toast up some sesame seeds. I like to toast mine myself instead of buying the pre-toasted ones. It adds such a nice nutty flavor to the noodles. If you're doing a Whole30, omit the sesame seeds, and maybe consider tossing in some finely chopped roasted cashews. 

Ingredient assembly - spicy ginger dressing, warm toasted sesame seeds, and a whole bowl full of noodly goodness.

I paired my noodle salad with freshly grilled skin-on chicken breast that I brined all day to enhance the moisture. After the chicken comes off the grill, my favorite thing is to toss the chicken in the oven under the broiler until the skin gets crispy and golden. Totally irresistible. Try it - I promise you'll be glad you made tonight noodle night!

Asian Noodles

For the dressing: 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon coconut aminos

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon of powdered ginger (if you have fresh ginger on hand, all the better!)

Cracked black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste

1-2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (as much or as little as you like)

For the noodles: 

2 medium cucumbers, julienne peeled

3 medium carrots, julienne peeled

1 scallion, finely chopped

1/4 cup of mint, finely chopped

In a large bowl, combine the cucumber and carrot noodles with the chopped mint and scallion. Mix the dressing well, and drizzle over the noodles. Let the noodles marinate in the dressing for 5-10 minutes, then serve. 

Happy Noodle Night!