Tag Archives: anti-inflammatory

Simple Slaw Salad with Salmon

simple slaw with salmon

Meet my new favorite meal for spring. This plate has so much good stuff going on I’m not even sure where to begin. You’ve got your omega-3s in the salmon, and an extra anti-inflammatory boost from covering the fish in curry powder. Pair that with a slaw of raw veggies in all their glory, pure and unwilted delivering enzymes, nutrients and a delicious crunch. Oh, that crunch…

simple slaw

Raw foods can be so refreshing this time of year and adding them to your meals adds a whole list of health benefits including improved digestion. Foods that are raw come with enzymes which help to get the whole digestion thing started. That means your body doesn’t have to work as hard to break the food down all on its own. And you know what that means? More energy for you!

Healthnuttiness aside, what I love about this is you can make the slaw salad ahead of time (it’s actually even better the next day) and, if you plan it right, have dinner and lunch (or lunches) covered. Cook once, eat twice!

salmon

As for the salmon, it doesn’t get any easier than sprinkling on a little curry powder and sticking it under the broiler. I said this is my new favorite meal for spring for a reason… no cooking. no clean up. no reason not to be outside playing!

Simple Slaw Salad and Salmon

Ingredients

1/2 head of Napa cabbage, grated
6 carrots, grated
1 bunch basil, thinly sliced
3 limes, juiced
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 salmon filets
curry powder
salt and pepper

Directions

In a large bowl, combine cabbage, carrots, basil, then toss with lime juice and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To start the salmon, heat the broiler. Place filets on a foil-lined baking sheet skin side down and dust the tops of the fish with curry powder to just cover the filets and sprinke with salt and pepper. Broil salmon 6-8 minutes.

Serve slaw topped with salmon and enjoy!

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Dinner for One: Sweet Potato with Kale and Avocado

sweet-potato-kale-avocado

This is one of my favorite simple meals that I tend to make when I’m just cooking for myself. It’s super low maintenance (read: one pan) but has tons of flavor and is totally satisfying. It’s just simple ingredients that are easy to cook and happen to combine quite well together. By adding extras like garlic and lemon too, simple vegetables turn into the world’s simplest gourmet tasting meal for one. Did I mention how simple it is?

On a night when it’s just me, I can throw this together in about 30 minutes and be on the couch with dinner in one hand and the remote in the other, ready to relax and catch up on the girly portion of our DVR.

Sweet Potato with Kale and Avocado

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato
1/2 bunch kale, torn from stems and roughly chopped
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or virgin coconut oil
1/2 avocado, sliced
salt
lemon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, wrap sweet potato in foil and bake 30-45 minutes, until soft.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute 5-7 minutes, until translucent and beginning to brown. Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more. Add kale and stir to coat with oil. Cook about five minutes until greens begin to wilt and shrink.

When sweet potato is done, unwrap and cut it in half. Mash the potato with a fork and then top with greens mixture. Add sliced avocado, sprinkle with salt and give it a little squeeze of lemon.

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St. Patrick’s Day Spinach Pesto Pasta

I watched maybe four episodes of “Chopped” last night. It may have been a bit much… because when I just went to the kitchen to make dinner, I created my own little mystery basket. Except instead of exotic or ridiculous ingredients, mine were things in the fridge that are about to go bad… I had to get rid of some spinach. And the broccoli was looking a little peaked. (Please don’t tell the judges.) So there was that… From the pantry I scrounged some staples: pasta, garlic, onion. Done! I’m going to make a spinach pesto with sauteed broccoli and penne. Boom! And that’s how it went. Pretty lame for “Chopped,” I know, but the approach sure beat opening the door to a near empty fridge, sighing and saying, “We have no food!” Which is how I probably would have reacted just a few years ago…

Instead, I accepted the challenge and tried my damndest to impress my judge (the husband). And here’s the oh-so-appropriately-timed St. Patrick’s Day pesto pasta we ended up with for dinner:

broccoli-pesto-pasta

St. Patrick’s Day is a favorite holiday of mine. And when I looked down at all that green goodness on my plate I couldn’t help but smile at the timing. I would totally make this, or even just the pesto for a St. Patty’s Day party. Festive, and good for you! Skip the green beer and load up on this. (Note, I said green beer. I have no problem with beer… just for the record.)

Meanwhile, on my little episode of “Chopped”… The judges were speechless and practically licked their plates clean…

pesto-clean-plate

And there’s still plenty of pesto left over to use in dressings and to dip things in between now and the actual St. Patty’s day. This pesto (which is similar to this one) is a super sneaky way to get in more greens, which are good for you on every level – improving circulation, bringing in oxygen, detoxing cells and even lifting the spirit. They’ll also help counter act some of the not-so-good for you stuff (read: green beer) we may over do in honor of our patron saint in green….

spinach-pesto

St. Patrick’s Day Spinach Pesto Pasta

Ingredients:

For the pesto:
1 bunch spinach
1/2 cup walnuts
1 clove garlic
1 lemon
1 handful basil
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp salt

For the pasta
1 box whole wheat or brown rice pasta
1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets
1 onion, diced
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
Cook the pasta according to package instructions.

For the pesto, first put garlic clove in food processor and process to chop. Then add walnuts and chop. Add spinach, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and process into a smooth consistency. Last, add the basil and process until evenly blended and smooth. Add more olive oil and/or water until desired consistency is reached.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and sautee until translucent. Add broccoli florets and sautee about 10 minutes until cooked through.

Top pasta with broccoli mix and then pesto.

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Curried Sweet Potato & Ginger Soup

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It may look like just soup… but this is so much more than that. That little bowl right there is jam packed full of flu fighters – ginger, garlic, onion and sweet potato. We’ve been cramming these ingredients into alot of meals these days to help get us through the winter flu-free. So far it’s working (knock on wood). And with delicious finished products like this rich, creamy soup, getting that daily dose has been quite tasty, I must say.

Here’s a little more about why each of these four ingredients can help keep you from getting sick:

Ginger: Ginger is a root and has extremely strong anti-inflammatory, anti-oxident and anti-microbial properties. It’s long been a remedy to treat nausea and upset stomach (think gingerale on the airplane). Ginger is also an immune booster. Its heat drives circulation, warming the body and even causing a sweat to break. This helps to move colds and flus out of the body and leads to overall detoxification, which is necessary to maintain good health.

Garlic & Onion: Garlic, onion and other white vegetables are the scrub brushes of the vegetable world. When consumed, they get in there and scrub away the stuff that our bodies need to get rid of – viruses, bacteria, parasites (ick). That pungent smell you get when you cut into them comes from sulfides, which give them their anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties among other health benefits.

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Sweet potato: Just like its orange-fleshy cousins, carrot and butternut squash, the sweet potato is oozing with vitamin A, vitamin C and manganese -  critical components for immune support and function. What’s more, they taste like dessert  – quite a delicious way to load up on the essentials.

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One more pro: curry, with its bitter and drying spices, helps to clear mucus and reduce inflammation as well. For centuries civilizations have used curry to flavor and to preserve their food. In fact the combination of ginger, garlic and turmeric is one of the oldest in the book dating all the way back to between 2500 and 2200 B.C. making curry possibly the oldest dish on the planet. Looks like those ancients were on to something….

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Curried Sweet Potato and Ginger Soup

Ingredients:

4 medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-2″ chunks
3 shallots, peeled and chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger root
2 tsp curry powder
3-4 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (or virgin coconut oil)
1 can coconut milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Once you’ve chopped the sweet potatoes, spread them out on a baking sheet, then drizzle with a little olive and a few shakes of salt and pepper and toss. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the potatoes are browned.

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add olive oil. Then add shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes, until translucent. Next add the garlic and ginger and cook another minute or so. Then stir in the sweet potatoes and cook five minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat and pour in coconut milk. Sprinkle in some salt, pepper and a little cayenne, if desired. Cover and simmer fifteen minutes.

To blend the soup into a smooth, creamy consistency, you can use either a blender, food processor an immersion blender. If you’re using a blender or food processor the steam can create pressure and cause the lid to pop off. So take caution and blend in batches if necessary.

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Green Lentil Dahl

It may not be the prettiest of meals, but for a simple dinner on the quick, cheap and healthy, it’ll do just fine. This has become a go-to at our house when the fridge is bare and dinner comes down to pantry staples. It’s called dahl, an Indian lentil dish that’s strong in flavor and low in maintenance. Not the most pleasing to the eye, but what it lacks in presentation it makes up for in flavor. And did I mention it’s quick… and cheap?…

Super-Power Spice
It’s the spices that really make dahl, dahl. The lentils are cooked with tumeric — a spice that’s been used to treat everything from bug bites to congestion to menstrual cramps. The vibrant yellowy-orange powder is a staple in Indian cooking, though it was originally thrown in as a preservative to make curries last longer. Sure enough, the same way tumeric kept the curry from going bad, it works to protect the living tissues in our bodies. And looking at the health stats for people in India and Pakistan, there’s something to it. They have substantially lower rates of cancers, particularly colon cancer. Perhaps they’re on to something…

For centuries, tumeric has been used as a potent medicinal herb in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine for its anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fill-in-the-blank properties. Let’s just say it has super powers. And what have we Americans traditionally use this cure-all for? To make stain-your-clothes yellow mustard. Huh.

Tumeric brings balance to the body as a warming and bitter herb. It helps with protein digestion and also works to decongest the liver and protect it from toxins. As an anti-inflammatory, some say it’s comparable to Hydrocortisone or Motrin. And if you want to up the ante, add a little black pepper. As if super powers weren’t enough on their own, the synergistic combo makes tumeric 2,000 times more potent. Whoa.

Lentil Love
Spices bring these bad boys to life, but on their own they’re worth talking about too. Lentils are one of the best vegetarian sources of protein and are a fabulous alternative to beans as they take half as much time to cook. They come in several varieties in different colors and sizes. They’re good for the heart and cardiovascular system and stimulate the adrenal system. Of course they’re also low in calories and fat, but filling. Adding spices – particularly cumin, coriander and ginger – help to make them easier to digest as well (you’re welcome).

Eat dahl in a bowl with brown rice (the combo makes a complete protein) or add some sauteed veggies to the mix. For something warming, hearty and spicy, look no further…

Green Lentil Dahl

Ingredients

1 cup lentils, uncooked
2 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 1/2 tsp cumin, whole seeds or ground
2 whole cloves
dash pepper, to taste

Directions

In a large pot, place the lentils and vegetable broth, and bring to a slow simmer. Add the turmeric, cayenne and salt, and cover. Allow to cook for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a large skillet or frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, cumin and clove and stir to combine. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes, until onion is soft. When the onion begins to brown, add to the lentils, and allow to simmer for at least 5 more minutes.

Add a dash of pepper and more salt, if desired, and serve on it’s own, or with rice, veggies or both.

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Curried Chickpeas with Kale

It’s been one of those weeks. You know, when you start out with the best of intentions…  a Sunday trip to the store, a fridge stocked full of fresh food just waiting to be turned into something delicious. And then life happens, work takes over and next thing you know you find yourself eating a LaraBar at your desk at 8 p.m. wondering how long an uncooked whole chicken stays good in the fridge. Does this happen to you? Or is it just me?

My problem is I do enjoy to cook, but often my eyes and intrigue are bigger than my tight schedule allows. If it’s going to be a busy week, I try to make a few staples (grains, beans, veggies, etc.) in advance and keep them in the fridge so I can throw something together in a pinch. This chickpea recipe is a great one to keep on hand. You can use canned chickpeas or make your own ahead of time (they’re so much better, and cheaper too).  To turn them into a meal, all that’s left is a little chop and saute and you’re about 15 minutes to done. Simple as a chickpea.

Curried Chickpeas with Kale

Ingredients

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 can)
3 tbsp Thai green curry paste
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves torn
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
3 tsp tamari or soy sauce
juice from half a lime
1 tbsp honey
cilantro, chopped (optional)

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and 2 tbsp curry paste. Stir until paste is dissolved into mixture. Add chickpeas, tamari, sweetener and lime juice. You can add water if the mixture becomes dry as it simmers. Add kale and stir to mix with chickpeas as the greens begin to wilt and reduce down. Cook for about five minutes, then add coconut milk and warm (not boil) another minute or two. Stir in 1 tbsp curry paste evenly throughout.

Serve as is or over brown rice and topped with cilantro.

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Arugula Pesto

Before you read any further, just guess how many cups of leafy green things are in this bowl? This is like that game with the jelly beans… if they were pureed.

Got your number?

2? higher.

4? higher.

7? higher.

10? You got it, 10. There are 10 cups of leafy green vegetables crammed in there! It’s jam-packed and oozing with the essence of spring: greens, greens and more greens.  You’d have to eat one massive salad… Or you could put a tablespoon or two of this stuff on top of something satisfying and delicious, like pasta. Mmmmm.

The bright green color is so vibrant it glows. And for the body, it has the same effect. The more green leafy things you eat, the more oxygen gets into the body, feeding O2 to your cells and improving blood flow. You’ll also take in more materials (vitamins, minerals, etc.) that your body needs to make new, healthy skin cells. Every day your body is working to replace the million (yep, million) you shed in a day. And every day, or every meal for that matter, is an opportunity to improve the way you look and feel. Give your body what it needs and it will do what you ask of it in return. And when it comes as compact and tasty as this pesto sauce, how could you not??

This arugula pesto is a bit of a different take on the traditional. It skips the cheese and instead relies on peppery arugula, sweet basil, garlic and spices for flavor. The combination is so fresh and delicious, you might wonder why pesto ever needed cheese in the first place… The pine nuts turn into a rich, creamy base and along with the olive oil they provide healthy, satisfying fat that helps you absorb all the nutrients from the raw greens.

Everything in here is 100% raw too, which means none of the ingredients have been cooked, leaving the nutrition and enzymes in the foods themselves intact. Enzymes help break down foods in the body so they’re easier to digest and the process takes up less energy on our part. The energy saved from digestion can then be put to use in other areas, like cell growth and repair.

A squeeze of lemon at the end brightens it up and brings all the flavors together…

Arugula Pesto

Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves
1 cup pine nuts
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp oregano
2 cups basil
8 cups arugula
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ lemon, juiced

Directions:

In a food processor, pulse garlic cloves until finely minced. Add pine nuts and pulse until it becomes like a paste. Add salt, pepper and oregano and pulse. Add basil and pulse. Add arugula, two cups at a time and pulse until smooth. When all of the greens have been mixed in you should have a smooth green pesto. With the food processor running, slowly stream in olive oil through the small opening at the top. Squeeze in lemon and pulse again.

Just look at that glorious glowing green goop…

From here you can use it a number of ways. Serve it as a veggie dip alongside a crudité platter. Spread it on a sandwich. Add a little more olive oil for a salad dressing (green to the nth power!). Or drizzle over some pasta and spring veggies, like this:

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No-Mayo Chicken Salad

I’ve never been much a fan of mayo (I was always more of a ketchup girl when it came to condiments), but boy do I love me some chicken salad just as much as the next girl. Who says chicken salad has to be made with mayo? This no-mayo chicken salad uses creamy avocado and tangy lemon juice to bring all the ingredients together.  Creamy, meaty, crunchy… it’s got all my requirements for a tasty chicken salad. And to top it off it’s full of healthy fats…

As a Matter of Fat
I’m not really one for labels and generally try to avoid labeling a food as “good” or “bad.” [That is unless we’re talking about anything that ends in “tos,” which is not food to begin with so the point would be moot.] Anyway, there was a time when people actually thought margarine fell into the “good” category. Knowing what we know now about processed “trans” fats, that’s crazy, right? Point being: Things change. We’re all learning as we go here in this ever evolving science of nutrition. So until we have all of the answers (which will probably never happen) I say the best expert to trust out there is none other than nature.

And nature sure out did herself with the avocado. A sort of freak of nature, the avocado is actually a fruit. And it’s the only fruit that is also a fat.

Fats are like the oil to the machine that is our body. Their oils lubricate our cells, inside and out. That’s why we say foods like avocados, olive oil and nuts are great for your skin. Their oils help to hydrate the skin from the inside out making it look supple and glowing. Fat is also critical to nutrient absorption. Without it most of the vitamins and minerals in our foods would go straight through us. In particular, avocados help our digestive tract more efficiently absorb nutrients. They’re a source of carotenoids, which help prevent free radical damage, and are considered to be an anti-inflammatory food (two more points for skin care). Avocados are also a good source of folate and have been linked with women’s health and fertility. How about this for a sign from nature: You know what else takes exactly nine months to develop? An avocado.

Add sliced avocado to your salad, mash it into a dip or mix it up with the other ingredients here for a totally different take on a classic that’s just as delicious and uber-healthy.

No-Mayo Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 avocado
  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 1/2 apple
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1/2 lemon
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

Poach chicken breasts in a skillet with about 1/2 inch simmering water, about 4 min per side. When chicken is cooked through, remove from pan and shred. Smash avocado in a medium sized bowl, add chicken and mix. Add apple, walnuts and raisins. Squeeze half a lemon and mix. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve on top of mixed greens.

You can even eat this while spring cleaning! Check out my Spring Clean Your Body program to reboot your body and get ready for spring.

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butternut squash + kale + white beans + quinoa

Things I will miss about winter:

1. My UGG boots
2. Using the excuse “It’s too cold” to do nothing but curl up and watch Bravo
3. Meals like this….

I’m coming to terms with the fact that this will likely be my last bite of butternut squash for awhile, which makes me a little sad. Is it weird to miss vegetables? Wait, don’t answer that… My husband on the other hand does not share my nostalgia for these peculiar-shaped roots. As the “chopper” of the household, he’d be happy if he never came head to head with one of these guys on the chopping block again. They sure are little boogers to get into, but man, it’s so worth it. That buttery flavor and heartiness make them the perfect healthy comfort food. Plus with their dye-your-skin-orange flesh they’re chock full of antioxidants to keep your immune system in tip-top shape, just when you need it the most.

Literally, all I did here is saute sliced red onion in a skillet. Add the squash. Then broth. Then kale. Then beans. Serve over quinoa and voila! You’ve got yourself a dinner that might make you miss b-squash too. It’s crazy healthy, and even crazier that it’s so delicious. I almost can’t believe it myself. Here’s the full recipe….

Butternut Squash with Kale and White Beans over Quinoa

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small butternut squash. peeled and cut into cubes
  • 1 bunch kale, torn into small pieces
  • 1/2 red onion, cut into thin crescents
  • 3/4 cup vegetable broth
  • 1 can cannellini beans (or 2 cups cooked beans)

For the dressing (whisk all ingredients together to combine):

  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

Rinse and drain quinoa well. Bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil and add quinoa. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes until all of the water is absorbed.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, about five minutes. Add squash and stir to coat with oil. Cook 7-10 minutes. When the edges of the squash begin to sear and stick to the pan, stir in the vegetable broth. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes. When the squash is soft, add kale and stir to combine. When the greens have reduced, add white beans and stir to combine.

Serve over quinoa; drizzle with lemon dressing.

And enjoy that last taste of winter.

As sad as I am to pack up my UGGs and say goodbye to b-squash, I’m just as excited to move on to spring. To help you get your body ready for the season, I’m offering a Spring Clean Your Body program. Now is the time we can all use a little spring cleaning — inside and out. Sessions can be done individually or with friends. For more information, click here.

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Coconut-Curry Chicken Soup

I bought the herb turmeric months ago after reading about it’s healing powers and thought I’d give it a try. It’s hailed as a digestive aid, inflammation fighter and cancer defender. It can also be applied directly to the skin to heal wounds and eczema. But until a few weeks ago all it had done is brighten up the spice cabinet with a little yellow.

It was time to put this guy to work. I tried this Coconut-Curry Chicken Soup in Cooking Light. Mine was a bit amateur – I didn’t have coriander or fish sauce and I swapped the snow peas for frozen peas and carrots. But you wouldn’t have known the difference. I was also missing the pad thai noodles, but I did have some leftover cooked spaghetti squash in the fridge. Worked just like noodles. Inventive, no? This is my new favorite now. I’ll definitely be making it the next time the temperatures drop below 30 again.

Recipe serves 7

Here’s what you need:
4 cups water
3 cups fresh spinach leaves
1/2 pound snow peas, trimmed and cut in half crosswise
1 package pad thai noodles or brown rice noodles
1 tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
2 tsp red curry paste
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups chicken stock
1 can light coconut milk
1 pound shredded cooked chicken (or diced)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tbsp sugar (or substitute agave nectar or honey)
2 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
dash cayenne pepper (optional)
7 lime wedges

Here’s what you do:
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add spinach and peas to pan; cook for 30 seconds. Remove vegetables from pan with a slotted spoon; place in a large bowl. Add noodles to pan; cook 3 minutes. Drain; add noodles to spinach mixture in bowl.

Heat canola oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add shallots and the next five ingredients (through garlic) to pot; saute 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth to pot and bring to a boil. Add coconut milk to pot; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Pour chicken mixture over noodle mixture in bowl. Stir in cilantro and red pepper. Add dash of cayenne if you’d like. Serve with lime wedges.

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