By Lori Ross for Cooking Challenge Four - No Refrigerated Ingredients from Ellen Dawson, Haverford, PA.  

This is one of the most delicious salads I make on the boat. It requires no refrigerated ingredients. The noodles may be served plain with sauce and garnish; made into lettuce wraps with the addition of a head of iceberg lettuce, or as a main course with shrimp, tuna, salmon, chicken or tofu (all available in shelf stable form)

Sauce:  

1 1/3 cups lime juice

1 cup fish sauce (or soy in a pinch)

1 cup water

8 tbsp sugar

1 tspn crushed red pepper flakes

1 clove garlic; minced

Garnish: 

2 cups diced or sliced cucumbers

4 scallions, thinly sliced in rounds

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves whole

1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped 

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced, sliced thin

1 small cabbage, cored, halved and shredded fine (any kind you like)

1 cup shredded or julienned carrots

1 cup bean sprouts (optional)

2 tbsp of chopped unsalted nuts (any kind, although peanuts are traditional)

Cook noodles for 5-6 minutes until al dente, rinse and drain. Mix sauce ingredients until sugar dissolves.  Add to noodles and mix gently. Garnish with cucumbers, scallions, mint, basil, jalapenos, cabbage, carrots, sprouts, nuts and cilantro (or let everyone make their own salad by placing garnishes in individual bowls or mounds on a plate).  

Variations: Use as the basis for “make your own” lettuce wraps by gently separating lettuce leaves (in cup shape) and making separate mounds of  “undressed” noodles, diced cucumber, sliced scallion, mint, cilantro, basil, sprouts, nuts and a bowl of sauce above . Give each person a lettuce leaf cup and they can fill with a tiny bit of each ingredient, drizzle with the sauce and roll up cup into a cylinder to eat.

Vegetarian Dinner Salad:  Add thin sliced assorted veggies and tofu.

Seafood Salad: Top with shrimp, oysters, tuna or salmon 

Meat or chicken salad: Top with shredded shelf stable chicken, beef or ham.

Fruity Salad: Top with thin sliced mango, papaya, peaches, pineapple, nectarines or plums or peeled and seeded citrus fruit.