Clean Eats: Simple and Spicy Vegetable Noodles

My summer musts list goes something like this: bright, cheerful nail polish, melamine dishes for outdoor entertaining, traveling to the beach (or any body of water) as often as I can, and quick, simple recipes.

In the winter, I don’t mind being in the kitchen for hours, serving up slow-cooked soups, sauce, or baked goods. My weeknights from November to April usually rotate between work, cooking, eating, sleeping.

Don’t get me wrong- I love my schedule but there is something about sunshine until 9PM that makes me want to soak up every last minute of daylight. Instead of an planning an hour to prep (and photograph) dinner, I want quick and easy meals that I can throw together while BL sets up the table outside.

These spicy vegetable noodles are that quintessential summer meal. Yes, it’s pasta- but it’s not heavy. I applied my nutrient dense approach and paired cups of thinly sliced peppers and carrots with a serving of soba noodles. It’s like your eating a big bowl of pasta, without the bloat or overly-full feeling. Packing in the vegetables also bumps up the nutrition, fiber, and satiety.

I really liked the crunch of raw vegetables in this noodle salad, but if you prefer your peppers and carrots more pasta like, add them to the water the last minute of cooking your noodles. Then, after draining, throw the noodles and the vegetables into a skillet and heat through with the sauce.