Spicy Thai Noodles

My husband asked me to recreate a spicy Thai noodle dish he had while traveling (that I had never tasted before)...after a little trial and error I came up with this and we love it! You can use just about any protein you like and if you want it really spicy just add more thai chilis or red pepper. If you can't find thai basil you can use other basil varieties like spicy globe or cinnamon or just leave it out, but it does add a nice flavor.

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 8  ounces  rice noodles
• 1  tablespoon coconut oil
• 2  Thai chiles, minced (or 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes)
• 1  carrot, thinly sliced
• 1  green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 4  green onions, thinly sliced
• 9  ounces shrimp, peeled and deveined (or ground turkey, chicken, or pork)
• 4  garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 3  tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons palm sugar
• 1⁄4 cup Thai basil

Directions

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Remove from heat and add rice noodles. Soak for 10 minutes. Stir a couple times to keep from sticking. After 10 minutes, drain and rinse with cold water.
2. In a large non-stick pan, heat oil and thai chilis over medium to medium-high heat. (If using ground turkey, chicken, or pork, add to pan and brown with oil and chilis before adding vegetables.).
3. Add vegetables, shrimp, and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add softened noodles, fish sauce, soy sauce, and sugar and cook until noodles are tender and warmed through (about 1-2 minutes more). Add a tablespoon (or more) of water if it looks like you need more sauce.
5. Stir in basil leaves and serve immediately.