Let’s Get Started!

Ingredients Needed

• Brown Rice Ramen Noodles*
• 2 tbsp. Peanut butter
• shredded carrots, 1 cup
• 1 tbsp. Sriracha sauce
• one red bell pepper
• 4 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
• snow peas or snap peas, 1 cup
• Sesame seeds
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• Basil (fresh)
• 1 tbsp. Minced ginger

Directions

1. Prep your ingredients first. Slice the bell pepper, mince the ginger and garlic, wash the peas and trim ends if needed. Cut or shred basil for garnish. Start the water to boil noodles. If you are using brown rice noodles they cook quickly, so watch the time. Drain and return the noodles to the pot.
2. Vegetables: use medium heat to heat a large hand. Use water or small amounts of vegetable broth to sauté the vegetables until warm, then add half of the garlic. Add more water or broth as needed so they don’t stick. May season with salt-and-pepper. Remove from heat but keep warm.
3. Sauce: in a small bowl or glass whisk together 3 to 4 tbsp. of hot water, peanut butter, soy sauce, ginger, Sriracha sauce and the rest of the garlic.  Add small bits of water until you have a smooth sauce.
4. Add the peanut sauce to the noodles, mix it in and then stir in the vegetables and allow the mixture to warm for another minute. Use the chopped basil and sesame seeds to garnish the top of each serving. This makes about 4 servings.

Benefits

This is an appealing meal that contains colored vegetables that are high in antioxidants. They help boost the immune system and fight off cancer. Ginger has many health benefits; it is a great anti-inflammatory, and has been shown to help with migraines, menstrual cramps and osteoarthritis. You can buy fresh ginger in the produce section and mince it yourself. It also freezes well, if you buy too much. My advice? Once you buy it, start adding it to foods or smoothies for extra benefit.