Spicy Vermicelli Salad with Shrimp

I survived the weekend and all the kids had a great time at their tournament!  I was happy to see it all end today though - great committee, just sick of all the Sunday night meetings!!

Anyways, yesterday I was craving those clear vermicelli noodles (aka cellophane noodles) in a spicy sauce.  So I whipped up a really quick asian vinegrette and then topped it off with pan-fried shrimps. You could totally replace the shrimps with any other meat (or tofu if you swing that way!)  It was quick to make, but the kitchen was a disaster afterwards - good thing Todd likes cleaning up after me ;)

Spicy Vermicelli Salad with Shrimp
Salad Ingredients:
1/2 lb shrimp (or other lean meat)
1 tbsp coconut oil
salt & pepper
juice of half a lime
4 clumps of vermicelli noodles
1 large carrot, grated
1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup peanuts, shelled and coarsely chopped

Vinagrette Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp sambal oelek
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

Method:
Place the vermicelli noodles in a large bowl and pour enough boiling water over them to cover.  Let sit for about a minute, then strain - they will seem a little more than "al dente" at this point, but don't worry about it, they will keep on cooking even when you drain the water.  Rinse with cold water and let drain in a strainer.

Combine all of the vinagrette ingredients in a bowl.  Remove 1/3 cup of the vinagrette and add to the noodles.  Stir and set aside - the noodles will soak up the juice while you're getting everything else ready.

Chop up the cucumbers & cilantro, grate the carrot, chop the peanuts.  Set the peanuts aside for garnishing the salad.  Mix everything into the noodles and set aside.

In a non-stick frying pan, heat the coconut oil over medium heat.  Pat dry the shrimp and season with salt and pepper.  Add to the hot pan and cook until both sides pink, and a crust starts to form, about 3-4 minutes per side.  When cooked, squeeze the juice of half of a lime into the pan.

Assemble your salad: in serving bowls, top noodles with shrimp, peanuts and more cilantro.  Things I thought of AFTER we were done eating - this salad would have rocked with sliced green onions, fresh basil and fresh mint.... any fresh vegetables would have tasted great too... or serve the noodles on a bed of lettuce... there's a lot you can do with the noodles/vinagrette combo as a starter - have fun with it!