We have been in Richard’s car for 10 days traveling home with him from Los Angeles. It was quite a trip. Here’s a summary: Happy to leave LA, Hoover Dam – very large, Vegas – Disney for adults, Grand Canyon – jaw dropping, Petrified Forest – weird and creepy, Santa Fe – should have gone with girl friends, great shopping, (and prairie dogs are really cute!). After that we just drove and drove across New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and finally over the bridge to Tennessee. So let’s get to the important part, what did we eat and can I make it at home! I’d love to say we enjoyed a healthy diet sampling from each region we visited, but that would be such a big fat lie that my computer (and me along with it) would be struck by lightning. Let’s just say I won’t be checking out the bathroom scales for a bit. That being duly noted, I will be experimenting with some of our favorites like Chocolate Tacos, Coffee Rubbed Roast Pork, Sausage and Cheese Fundito, and Prickly Pear Margaritas! Yum. But first I wanted to try out one of the healthy noodle bowls we sampled in LA. Maybe a little healthy eating should be on the horizon before I delve into Chocolate Tacos.
This Spicy Shrimp Noodle Salad is a perfect summer supper. It can be totally prepped ahead of time so all you need to do is a quick sauté of shrimp at the last minute. I used herbs we have growing right now, but you could certainly experiment. I also added salmon to my dish because I wanted to see how it would work. It was really delicious too. I’m guessing that grilled flank steak would be a fabulous substitution as well. Maybe I should call it Spicy Protein Noodle Salad. Anyway, it was light enough to be able to add a margarita to the menu and hardly feel guilty at all! Give it a try.
Ingredients
½ cup hot water
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup limejuice
2 Tbsp fish sauce
4 or 5 thin slices of jalapeno pepper or a pinch of red pepper flakes
6 oz rice noodles or vermicelli
2 heads romaine lettuce sliced (about ½ to 1 inch pieces)
1 cup total chopped herbs, mint, cilantro, and basil (or what ever you like)
¼ cup cornstarch
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp black pepper
1 lb shrimp, peeled * see note for salmon
3 Tbsp canola oil
½ cup sliced green onions
4 cloves garlic sliced
Chopped peanuts for serving
Directions
Make sauce by combining hot water and sugar, stirring to dissolve sugar.
Add lime juice, fish sauce and jalapeno peppers or red pepper flakes.
Cook noodles according to package direction. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Combine lettuce and herbs in a large bowl.
Combine cornstarch, brown sugar and pepper in a large bowl stirring to combine.
Add shrimp and toss to coat.
Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat.
Add shrimp and sear on each side, about 3 minutes total. Remove from skillet.
Reduce heat to medium and add green onions and garlic.
Cook for about 1 minute, return shrimp to the skillet and cook for a minute more.
To serve: Divide lettuce herb mixture among four bowls. Top with noodles and shrimp. Top with chopped peanuts and divide sauce between bowls.
* If you want to add salmon, sauté it before the shrimp to desired degree of doneness. It’s a great use for leftover salmon or other favorite seafood.
