Sauces and dressings

Cold & Crunchy Thai Noodle Salad

karenwpullen Main Dishes, Pasta, Recipes, Salads, Sauces and dressings
Cold & Crunchy Thai Noodle Salad

This salad has it all–lots of POW from the Thai flavors, noodles (my favorite food group), peanut crunch, and a slightly spicy sauce.

There’s not a lot of cooking – just the noodles. I buy edamame already cooked. Packaged slaw and pre-cut matchstick carrots also reduce chopping time.

It’s a great dish for meal prep – think lunch for a week! Also makes a great potluck dish.

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Print Recipe

Cold & Crunchy Thai Noodle Salad

All the flavors. Plus noodles. This is one of my favorite dishes.
Course: Main Course, Pasta, Salad, Sauces and dressings
Cuisine: Thai
Keyword: lunch, meal prep
Servings: 0

Equipment

  • 1 immersion blender optional

Ingredients

Peanut Sauce

  • 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 Tbs rice wine vinegar
  • 2 Tbs sesame oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp grated ginger
  • 1 tsp Sriracha or more
  • 2 Tbs maple syrup
  • 2-4 Tbs warm water *optional

Noodle Salad

  • 8 ounces noodles thin spaghetti, lo mein, pad thai style or soba noodles
  • 1 bell pepper red or orange, julienne cut
  • 1/2 cup carrots matchstick
  • 1 Persian cucumber julienne cut
  • 1 16-oz bag coleslaw
  • 3 green onions chopped
  • 1/2 cup peanuts chopped
  • 1/3 cup cilantro about half a bunch, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds toasted
  • 1 1/2 cups edamame cooked. About 8 oz.

Instructions

Noodle Salad

  • Cook the noodles per the package instructions until al dente. Drain and immediately rinse in cold water for a few minutes.
  • If the edamame aren't cooked, cook them per package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water.
  • In a large bowl, add the cold noodles, all of the vegetables and gently toss to combine. Add 3/4 cup of the peanut sauce and toss to coat the noodles and vegetables.
  • Add the peanuts, cilantro, and sesame seeds. Toss again.
  • Cover and chill in the fridge for one hour. Right before serving, toss and add additional peanut sauce if needed. (If you can't wait to eat it, that's OK too!)

Peanut Sauce

  • Put all of the ingredients, except the water, into a bowl and blend. If the mixture needs to be thinned, add 2-4 tablespoons of warm water.
  • The sauce can also be whisked until smooth.

Cheezy Sauce Mix

karenwpullen Basics, Recipes, Sauces and dressings

Takes just minutes to blend up this powdered cheez sauce mix. It can be sprinkled on anything. Or, add to a hot liquid, like broth or plant milk, and whisk. It will thicken up a little. A cheezy sauce makes plain vegetables a little special!

cheezy sauce on a baked potato
Prep Time10 minutes
Print Recipe

Cheezy Sauce Mix

Make a jar of this sauce mix, and you can have a cheezy sauce anytime for your vegetables!
Course: Sauces and dressings
Keyword: cheese sauce, powder, vegan
Servings: 0

Equipment

  • blender

Ingredients

  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 3/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 2 Tbs sun-dried tomatoes not packed in oil
  • 1 tsp mustard powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 Tbs mushroom powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients in a blender and process to a powder.

Notes

To use as a cheese sauce: Heat 1 to 1 1/2 cups of a liquid (veggie broth, water, or plant milk), then add to a blender with 1/2 cup of the cheezy powder. It will thicken a little.
Can also be sprinkled as is, on just about anything!
Adapted from a recipe by Kathy Hester.

Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

karenwpullen Recipes, Sauces and dressings, Side Dishes, Snacks, Dips, and Smoothies
Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

These are fun to make. There’s little cooking, other than a quick boil of the rice noodles. Kids like to participate and everyone likes to eat them. The sauce is finger-licking good!

Print Recipe

Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Rice paper is wrapped around crisp veggies, dipped in flavorful sauce. No cooking required.
Course: Appetizer, Sauces and dressings, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 4

Ingredients

Spring rolls

  • 2 oz thin rice noodles
  • 12 sheets rice paper spring roll wrappers
  • 1 cup cabbage red or green, sliced very thin
  • 2 carrots cut into matchsticks
  • 1 cucumber sliced very thin
  • 2 green onions chopped
  • 12 pieces butter lettuce
  • 1 jalapeno pepper thinly sliced

Dipping Sauce

  • 1/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 Tbs soy sauce
  • 2 Tbs maple syrup
  • 2 tsp Siracha adds heat; to taste
  • 2 Tbs rice vinegar
  • 3 Tbs water

Instructions

Spring Rolls

  • First cook the noodles according to package directions. Should take only a couple of minutes. Drain and rinse.
  • Fill a cake tin that is larger than the rice paper with an inch of water.
  • You will make each spring roll one at a time. Lay the rice paper in the water until it is pliable, about 20 seconds. Take it out and place it on a towel.
    If you leave it in too long, it will disintegrate. You'll get the hang of it!
  • Leaving about an inch on each side, layer a little bit of each filling ingredient, lettuce first, on the bottom third of the wrapper.
  • Roll up the wrapper from the bottom about half way, then fold in the sides. Continue rolling all the way.
  • The wrapper might stay closed; you can also dampen the very top with some water to help it stick.

Dipping Sauce

  • Whisk all the ingredients together.

Notes

Recipe makes 12 spring rolls.
Other optional ingredients include slivers of baked tofu, cilantro, and mint.
Normally my recipes are no-oil but sesame oil adds such great flavor that I’ve included it.
If you take these as your contribution to a meal, better make a lot more – they will go fast!