Lets face it, Thanksgiving is less than gentle on one’s stomach. The holiday is about being thankful, but most of the time it is just an endless abundance of food. I have yet to meet a person who does not practice the art of mindlessly overeating on the fourth Thursday of November—and for the purpose of this article, I will assume everyone stuffs their faces that day.
That said, the days (even weeks) after Thanksgiving should be used to give one’s body a rest before the next stuffing session arrives along with Christmas presents and New Year’s Eve kisses.
A great way to ease back into that “healthy” lifestyle that everyone wishes they could tell their mom about is by eating lots of fruits and veggies. Here is an easy way to incorporate a bunch of vegetables and still have a delicious dinner; and it takes half the time than it does to go to the gym.
Noodle and Raw Veggie Salad (adapted from Cookie + kate)
- 4 oz. soba noodles (or combination of soba and spinach-flavored noodles)
- 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- Juice of one lime
- ¼ jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 large carrot, shredded with vegetable peeler
- 1 cup shelled edamame, steamed
- Cook noodles according to box directions; rinse with cold water and drain in colander. Place in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, oils, vinegar, lime juice and jalapeno.
- Add vegetables to noodles and toss to mix. Drizzle dressing over pasta and vegetables and enjoy.
*Salad can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator, but keep dressing separate from rest of ingredients to prevent sogginess.