The standard salad dressing of vinegar and oil can get boring and may even discourage you from eating salad. And a salad that’s made from plain lettuce and tomatoes? Nevermind! A full-flavored dressing and a variety of colorful vegetables make a beautiful salad that you can’t wait to dig into. Zucchini is typically eaten cooked but cutting it into noodles turns it into a nutritious substitute for noodles. Eating the color of the rainbow means you’re nourishing your body with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants - so go nuts with red tomatoes, orange carrots, yellow bell peppers, and purple cabbage. This peanut dressing has no added fat but is tasty thanks to ginger, garlic, and the mix of vinegar and soy sauce. Feel free to double the dressing and keep some in the freezer for the future.

 

For the salad:

Makes about 4 1/2 cups, good for 2 to 4 servings

 

1 zucchini, spiralized or julienned into noodles

1/2 red cabbage, shredded

1 carrot, julienned or coarsely grated

1 bell pepper, seeded and julienned

1 onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

 

Toss everything in a large bowl until well mixed. Serve with dressing on the side.

 

For the peanut dressing:

Makes 1 1/3 cup

 

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (preferably with no added oil)

1/4 cup vinegar

1/4 cup water

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 inch piece ginger

2 garlic cloves

1 sili labuyo, optional

 

Place everything in a blender and blend until smooth. Alternatively, finely mince the garlic, ginger, and sili then whisk in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients until smooth.