Thai Noodle Salad - Rachel

This is one of my favorite recipes. I don't know where I found it anymore, but I fell in love after the first time I made it. Plus, it's so easy to make that even if I only have noodles and the ingredients for the sauce, I will still make. I have made it so much in fact, I have the basic recipe memorized. So, when mom had shingles and I was visiting one day, I offered to make it for her because, as we all know, noodles are a comfort food. It may have been the drugs, but mom loved it too and we've tweaked to recipe several times to make it just the way we like it, so here's the recipe first and then take a look at the variations because that's where the real fun begins.



6 oz dried vermicelli
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 red pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
3 green onions, cut diagonally in 1/2" pieces
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
lime wedges for garnish

Cook vermicelli according to package instructions, drain and set aside.
In medium saucepan, combine soy sauce, broth, peanut butter, lime juice, ginger, and crushed red pepper. Cook over medium-low heat until peanut butter is melted.
Add cooked pasta and toss to coat evenly.
Stir in cooked chicken, sweet red pepper, green onions, and cilantro.
Serve with lime wedges.

Variations:
So, I'll be honest. I have never made this recipe with vermicelli. I usually use spaghetti noodles because that's what I have in the house. I prefer the thin variety. Angel hair is too thin and regular spaghetti is really too thick. I usually add broccoli because I really need to eat more vegetables. The broccoli can be fresh or frozen and I throw it in to cook with the noodles. Hooray for multi-tasking. I also never cook the sauce in a pan. It microwaves well in 1 minute and you dirty far less dishes. Finally, the meat in this recipe can be whatever you like, or none if you prefer. As I said before, when I just want something quick, I have made this meatless and it's just as good. In the picture, I made mine with shrimp and it was fabulous. I've also used beef. Depending on what kind of meat I use, I will usually change what kind of broth is added to the sauce. I've used vegetable before and it was OK, I normally use chicken broth, and I use beef broth when I cut slices of steak for this. One final variation, I normally saute the red pepper strips with the meat. That's just a personal preference because I like my red peppers a little caramelized. This recipe is fabulous because it's so flexible, so get creative and enjoy!!