Patty’s Killer Noodle Salad

My family has made this chilled noodle salad over and over since Patty’s recipe for it won The Oregonian’s newspaper’s Recipe of the Year in 1997! We’ve made some minor tweaks over the years (more garlic, finely grated carrots - the texture is worth the extra elbow grease!, and gluten-free soba noodles) and we still can’t get enough!

Sauce:
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp coconut sugar
2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, chopped

6 oz buckwheat noodles
2 carrots, finely grated
1/2 cup peanuts, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Whisk the sauce together while the noodles are cooking. Toss the noodles in the sauce with grated carrots and then top with chopped peanuts and cilantro. Serve or chill for up to four hours.