Fresh and speedy Soba Noodle Salad with Ginger-Peanut Dressing

A fresh, cool noodle salad studded with cucumber, red bell pepper and carrot – this is the dreamy product resulting from Soba Noodle Salad with Ginger-Peanut Dressing (click for the recipe at the Vegetarian Times website).
   It’s a versatile dish – it can eaten as a main or as a side. I commented to my husband when we first tried it that it would do well at a spring potluck or backyard party.
   And it’s so easy to make, it’s almost ridiculous. You can drag yourself home after a long day, feeling like you’ve been run over by a truck, and a scant 20 minutes later you’ll be eating something refreshing.
   People who are cooking for one will not only appreciate its speedy preparation, but the fact it’s cold and so keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days.
   It’s the first recipe I’ve tried from the magazine Vegetarian Times, and I’m encouraged to try more.
   It’s a nice vegetarian version of another recipe I reviewed here on Recipes That Worked: Spicy Peanut Noodles with Ground Pork and Shredded Vegetables.
   The recipe on the Vegetarian Times website said to use “low-sodium soba noodles,” “Marantha Organic No-Stir peanut butter,” and “brown rice vinegar,” but regular soba noodles, any brand of creamy peanut butter and any type rice vinegar will work just fine.
   As always, we left the cilantro out of this recipe.
   The noodles are cooked in boiling water according to package directions, drained, and rinsed under cold water.
   A sauce is made by pureeing creamy peanut butter, rice vinegar, agave nectar or maple syrup, fresh ginger, soy sauce, garlic, lime juice and lime zest (finely-grated lemon peel) in a blender until smooth.
   The noodles and sauce are tossed with diced cucumber, sliced red bell pepper and a grated carrot.
   Serve and enjoy the salad’s cool appeal.