Changing up lunch with a cold noodle salad

Lunch doesn't always have to be sandwiches, as there are an abundance of alternatives that are easy as well as portable for packed lunches.  Some favorites in my house are cold noodle salads or couscous salads, which are an incredibly easy and filling solution while still being light.  For this particular dish I used Cantonese Style noodles that I bought from a Chinese Supermarket.  I have talked about this a few times and I just wanted to mention it again, finding a Ethnic Supermarket can be an wonderful way to get a great bargain.  I am able to buy things like oil, soy sauce, noodles and tofu and much cheaper prices then I would find in the regular supermarket.  Do a little research in your town, it may surprise you to find that there are one or two small ethnic grocery stores in your area that you didn't even know about.  Their appearance on the outside might intimidate you if you have never been to something like that before but give it a try. They are often small, family run operations that need the community's support to survive and as I mentioned it will give you access to ingredients that are either hard to find in the regular supermarket or at least cheaper.  I have so much fun stocking myself up with noodles so that I always have something unique within reach for a quick meal.

Prawn Noodle Salad

1 lb (450g) prawns, cooked, peeled and deveined (or frozen/thawed)

8 oz (227g) noodles

8 oz (227g) bean sprouts

1 c. (165g) sugar snap peas, halved

1 red pepper, julienne

8 spring onions, thinly sliced

1/3 c. (80mL) olive oil

1/4 c. (60mL) lime juice-with zest

2 Tbsp (30mL) soy sauce-light

1 tsp (5mL) chili powder

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 tsp (5mL) fresh ginger, grated

small bunch of fresh cilantro (coriander), roughly chopped

Set a pot of water on the stove to begin boiling.

Chop up the pepper and sugar snap peas and rinse.  Set aside with the bean sprouts and green onion.

Combine oil, juice, chili powder, soy sauce, garlic and ginger

The water should be boiling now; add the noodles and cook for one minute, or according to the package directions.

When the noodles are done add them to a colander and rinse until the noodles are completely cool.

Add the cilantro to the prawns and then cover the prawns with your dressing. Toss and coat well.

Add the noodles and the veggies and toss until everything has been coated evenly with the dressing.  Serve immediately, or store in the fridge until you are ready to serve.