Here’s a vegetarian dinner so quick and so delicious that you’ll never miss the meat! If you’ve never cooked with rice noodles before, then you’re in for a treat. They’re usually shelved with the Asian foods (Thai) and this is what they look like. There are several popular brands on the market. In this recipe, you’ll break the long dried noodles into pieces BEFORE rehydrating them which makes them much  more manageable when it’s time to eat! That’s right, I said “rehydrating”. You don’t actually cook these noodles, you just let them sit in hot water until they become soft. The chile garlic sauce gives this a little kick, so if you like your food less spicy, you may want to use less of it than what the recipe specifies.

Rice Noodle Bowl with Broccoli and Bell Peppers

Adapted from Vegetarian Times July/August 2010

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

8 oz. dried rice noodles, broken into 1-inch pieces

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

4 teaspoons rice vinegar (you could substitute apple cider vinegar)

1 tablespoon sugar

4 teaspoons chile sauce (less if you don’t like your food too spicy)

1 cup water

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 bunches finely chopped green onions (white and light green parts only)

3 cloves or 4 teaspoons minced garlic

2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced

2 cups broccoli florets, cut into 1″ pieces

3 tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts

Directions:

1. With a small whisk combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, chile sauce, and 1 cup of water in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add broken noodles and remove from heat. Let stand 5 to 7 minutes or until noodles are rehydrated. Drain and discard water. Set noodles aside.

3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add bell peppers and broccoli. Cook 1 minute. Add soy sauce mixture and bring to a boil, cooking 1 more minute, or until red pepper and broccoli are tender. Stir in noodles. Serve sprinkled with chopped peanuts.

It….is….hot! Sooooooo hot! This Tuesday, I took my kiddos to the opening of the local farmer’s market in Loveland and while I was excited to see the initial roster of vendors and to get my hands on some local strawberries and fresh baked bread and a pot of gorgeous rosemary, it….was…hot. I was actually worried about my children’s red cheeks and sweaty heads after only 20 or 30 minutes on the hot blacktop. Yikes. Next week, we’ll be sure to take water bottles. Shame on me.

When it’s this hot, few things sound better than a cooling salad. Especially one with apple vinaigrette! It makes me feel better just thinking about it. This particular one makes a lot of salad and it saves surprisingly well. You might try keeping the salad and dressing separate and dressing each night’s serving just before eating. A good salad takes a little bit of effort to put together so making a big batch at once and eating it multiple times is a real time saver.

Chopped Salad with Apple Vinaigrette

Adapted from www.foodandwine.com

Serves: 10

Ingredients:

1/2 cup apple juice

1 cinnamon stick

3 – 1″ strips of lemon zest

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 medium shallot, minced

salt and freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup grapeseed or canola oil (I mean really, who keeps grapeseed oil on hand??)

2 large celery stalks, finely diced

1 medium seedless cucumber, peeled and diced

2 large carrots, finely diced or shredded

2 cups red seedless grapes, halved

4 oz. (1 cup) feta cheese, crumbled or diced

5 cups mesclun or other mixed greens

2 romaine lettuce hearts, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, bring the apple juice to a boil with the cinnamon stick and lemon zest. Simmer over moderate heat for 5 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced to 2 tablespoons. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick and lemon zest. Pour the liquid into a small bowl and let cool slightly. Add the cider vinegar and shallot and season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the oil until emulsified.

2. In a large bowl toss together the celery, cucumber, carrots, grapes, feta cheese, mesclun and romaine. Whisk the apple vinaigrette again and add to the salad. Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss well to coat.