Spicy Peanut Chicken Salad

• 1 cup julienne red and yellow pepper
• 1 cup shredded or julienne carrots
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• ½ cup finely chopped broccoli
• ½ cup chopped green onions
• 1 cup chopped or shredded cooked chicken breast
• 8 oz. cooked soba noodles or whole grain linguine

• 5 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons sesame or canola oil
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
• ½ tablespoon honey
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 minced small red Thai chili pepper, seeds and ribs removed (another hot chili pepper, such as jalapeno or serrano, could be substituted)
• ⅓ cup peanuts

1. Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Puree all remaining ingredients (except peanuts) in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Add peanuts last and process until just finely chopped. Pour over salad and toss well.
3. Top individual servings with fresh basil and cilantro!

Notes

It’s worth the extra time to make the dressing from scratch! Eat it straight out of the food processor? Sure I did. It has the perfect amount of spiciness, sweetness, and nutty creaminess!