Recipe: Asian Noodle and Shrimp Salad

It may sound odd, but I love to watch Food Network while I'm working out. Last week, I was sweating it out on the elliptical while watching Cooking for Real with Sonny Anderson and she made this great combination of Hawaiian and Asian dishes. As soon as I saw her Asian Noodles I knew I wanted to try making them. On my way home that night I stopped at the grocery store and picked up the ingredients I didn't have on hand.

I made a few tweaks for the purpose of creating a meal rather than a side dish, but the resulting salad was a spicy-sweet, satisfying treat.

Asian Noodle and Shrimp Salad
(Adapted from Sonny Anderson)
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

Dressing:

1 lime, juiced
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 TBSP honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
4 TBSP cilantro leaves

Salad:

12 oz. cooked shrimp
1 pkg. rice noodles (14 oz)
1 large carrot
1/2 large cucumber
1 large scallion, thinly sliced
3 TBSP dry-roasted peanuts

Instructions

1. Prepare the noodles according to the package directions.

2. While the noodles are cooking, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Add the shrimp and toss to coat them. Set aside.

3. Grate the carrot and cucumber. Add them along with the sliced scallion to the bowl with the shrimp and dressing. Toss to coat.

4. When the noodles are done, drain them, rinse them with cold water and then drain them again. Add them to the bowl with the other ingredients, add the peanuts and toss everything together until it's well mixed. Serve and enjoy!