The vivid green color of the basil jalapeño vinaigrette and the vegetables make this dish as delicious as it is beautiful. The first time I added this basil jalapeño vinaigrette to rice noodles, I thought it was amazing how it turned the noodles the chartreuse green color. The vinaigrette is also so easy to make in a blender or food processor. When I made this recipe on Food Network Snapchat Discover, I was caught struggling with the blender. Of course, when I am using technology on camera that happens!
All the Greens
The beauty of this dish is the flexibility. You could sauté any combination of vegetables you have in your fridge from a big farmers’ market haul, from your garden or from the store. I chose asparagus, zucchini, Tuscan kale, edamame and some avocado slices for mine. The green colors range from a yellowish lime color all the way to a deep forrest green. And the truth is, the green veggie bowl really tastes as good as it looks.
Bring the Heat
While the fresh produce is the key to this meatless rice noodle bowl, the star of the show may be the basil jalapeño vinaigrette. It’s fragrant and summery, yet spicy at the same time. Control the level of heat by the amount of jalapeño you add or simply take it out if you’d rather. I used this vinaigrette as the base of the stuffed piquillo peppers I made last month. It’s so versatile! Try it out as a salad dressing, veggie dip or even chicken or shrimp marinade.
Speaking of chicken, you can add any protein if you would like to this veggie bowl. Chicken, shrimp or salmon sound like a great pair to me! The edamame adds protein to the dish to serve as a main vegetarian course, but you could use this as a chilled cold noodle side salad, too.
- [b]Basil Jalapeno Vinaigrette[/b]
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup tightly packed basil leaves
- 1 small shallot
- 2 jalapeños (1 with seeds, 1 without seeds)
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- [b]Veggie Bowl
- [/b]8 asparagus
- 1 zucchini
- 4 cups Tuscan kale
- 1/2 cup frozen edamame
- 1 avocado
- Half a packet of rice noodles
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Add all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add more olive oil if needed to smooth out. Taste and be sure the heat is at a good level for your liking.
- Bring pot of water to boil.
- Prepare all vegetables. Rinse asparagus, trim bottom end and cut the rest at a diagonal in 2 inch sections. Cut zucchini into half moon shaped pieces. Cut or tear Tuscan kale into small chunks.
- Cook rice noodles according to package instructions (usually around 3 minutes).
- While noodles are cooking, begin cooking vegetables. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add asparagus, zucchini and kale. Cook for about 2 minutes.
- Add frozen edamame to defrost and heat.
- Drain noodles once cooked. Add to vegetables and pour dressing into pan.
- Toss noodles and veggies.
- Cut avocado. Spoon noodles into a bowl and serve with avocado on top.
Love food. Love self. Love life.
Gabriela
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