Healthy, Veggie-filled Weekday Meal

What comes to your mind when you think "chicken salad"? Mushy canned chicken breast slathered in Miracle Whip or mayonnaise? My recipe for Hot Chinese Chicken Salad will change your idea of what chicken salad can mean! This recipe is easily adaptable to vegan, low carb, and paleo diets, and is full of colorful, antioxidant rich veggies. And best of all, it's super easy and doesn't take much time to make -perfect for busy weeknights.

You don't have to add the turmeric to the chicken, but I have been adding it to everything after learning about all the health benefits of curcurmin, a component of turmeric. You can read a published study about the anti-cancer benefits of curcurmin here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18462866 and you can read about turmeric here: https://authoritynutrition.com/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-turmeric/

Remember, if you're wondering why natural deodorants just never seem to work for you, you may want to take a look at your diet. A diet full of simple and processed foods can definitely make body odor worse. This recipe can be the start of a new habit of healthy eating!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth

4 tablespoons rice vinegar

4 tablespoons soy sauce or soy sauce substitute (I used Bragg Liquid Aminos)

2 tablespoons Mirin (sweet rice cooking wine)

2-3 chicken breasts (use tofu or eliminate if making vegan recipe)

1 red bell pepper and 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 1/2 to 2 cups shredded red cabbage

1 cup snow peas (optional)

3 green onions, chopped

8 ounces rice noodles or brown rice noodles (use veggie spiral noodles if making low carb - we used zucchini spirals)

Turmeric (optional)- adds the anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant power of curcurmin to your meal!

You can make your own veggie spiral noodles if you have a veggie spiraler. I found a clamshell of pre-spiraled veggie noodles at Whole Foods in both butternut squash and zucchini varieties. You can also use rice noodles. Remember with rice noodles that, unlike spaghetti, you boil the water and turn off the heat after adding the noodles. Let the noodles sit in the hot water for 8 minutes or so until soft.

Cut the chicken breast into small pieces and cook until no longer pink, preferably in a large wok. Season with salt, pepper, and turmeric (if using). Set aside. In the same pan, add a bit of oil and cook the veggies (except the green onions -those get added last) until crisp-tender. When done, return chicken to the pan with the veggies.

Mix together the vinegar, cooking wine, broth, and soy sauce. Pour into pan with veggies and chicken. Add noodles or veggie spirals and mix to combine. Heat through. Add green onions just before serving.

You can also use bone broth in place of chicken broth. Mineral-rich bone broth is full of health benefits. You can make your own or even purchase it. You can read more about the benefits of bone broth here: http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/cooking-ideas/8-reasons-try-bone-broth