Thai Basil Noodle Bowl

Ingredients

For the noodle bowl 

• 1 recipe Marinated Tofu or Pan Fried Tofu (or substitute cooked chicken)
• 7 ounces rice noodles (or your favorite noodles; we used large, flat noodles)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 English cucumber, diced
• 2 medium carrots, shredded (using a handheld julienne shredder is helpful)
• ½ cup chopped fresh Thai basil
• ½ cup chopped fresh mint and cilantro
• Crushed peanuts, for garnish

For the Sweet Garlic Lime Sauce (makes 1 ¼ cups)

• ¼ cup grated carrot (1 medium)
• ½ teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
• 1 small clove garlic, grated
• ½ cup rice vinegar
• ¼ cup lime juice
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sambal olek

Instructions

1. Make the protein: Make the Easy Marinated Tofu, Pan Fried Tofu, or your favorite cooked chicken recipe.
2. Make the sauce: Grate the carrot. Peel and grate the ginger and garlic. In a medium bowl, combine the carrot, ginger and garlic with the rice vinegar, lime juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, and sambal olek.
3. Cook the rice noodles according to the package instructions (you’ll likely pour boiling water over them and wait until they’re tender!). Rinse them under cool water when cooked.
4. Prepare the vegetables: Dice the pepper. Dice the English cucumber. (If you use a normal cucumber, you may want to peel it first.) Shred the carrot.
5. Serve: Toss the noodles with the tofu, veggies and the desired amount of sauce: we used about ¼ cup per serving. You can put the entire recipe in a large bowl, or make little individual servings and toss with the desired amount of sauce and veggies. Garnish with chopped peanuts on top.