Vietnamese-Style Vegetables with Rice Noodles

Ingredients:

• 2 ounce rice noodles
• 1 tbsp chili paste (from a jar)
• 1 tbsp Asian fish sauce
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large head broccoli, cut into small florets (4 cups)
• 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced into half-moons
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
• 4  lime wedges

Makes 4 Servings

1. Place noodles in a mediun bowl, cover with very warm tap water, and soak until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. While noodles are soaking, in a small bowl whisk together chili paste, fish sauce, lime juice, and vinegar.
3. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil ove medium-high heat. Add broccoli and toss to coat; cook, tossing gently, until tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer broccoli to a plate.
4. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the shillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add pepper, onion and zucchini; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables arejust beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Return broccoli to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes more. Stir in chili paste mixture, cover, Add cilantro and toss again. Divide among 4 plates and serve warm with lime wedges.

WW POINTS VALUE: 3 pts

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook. Just because it's not summer, it doesn't mean you can't enjoy summer meals in the comfort of your home. I have really come to love Asian food and I have never tried Vietnamese before. I have passed this recipe a  number of times and the picture looked so good I had to try it. This dish was LOVE AT FIRST BITE! I loved this dish because it was spicy and tangy from the flavors of chili paste, Asian fish sauce and rice vinegar which are common in Vietnamese cuisine. I really loved this dish because I loved all the vegetables with the rice noodles. The vegetables really filled me up and I really liked the rice noodles. If you love Italian pasta dishes, you will enjoy this dish. It's totally better than ordering Asian takeout, TRUST ME!! The scent of this dish is not too strong and it's really filling and delicious. This colorful dish is perfect for vegetarians and meat lovers as well. And if you really want to fill yourself up, add some shrimp. The next time you think about ordering Asian, takeout, PUT DOWN THE PHONE! Cook this dish and everyone will be happy.