Thai Peanut "Noodle" Salad
Sister and I are getting off the "no carb left behind" diet plan. That meant I needed to think creatively and quickly as our hungry tummies craved the Trader Joe's Thai Peanut Soba Noodle Salad.
Thankfully, tofu "noodles" saved the day. Now, all you tofu haters out there...screech your gagging to a halt, pronto.
I can honestly say, you cannot tell the difference between these and the real deal. Especially after you pour the delicious Trader Joe's brand Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette sauce over your faux noodle salad. I'm Italian. I know pasta. Take it from me.
No-gag tofu noodle tip: empty package into a strainer and rinse thoroughly. Noodles are packaged in a brine solution, and the smell is semi-off putting.
Here is the recipe. The only substitution I made was the tofu noodles for the whole wheat pasta {you can also use real soba noodles if your grocery store has them. delicious!}.
If you're friends with carbohydrates, like most sane people, feel free to make this recipe as is.
I guarantee that you and your lucky dinner mates will approve.
You will also be an automatic dinner hero, because you can assemble this dish in about 0.2 seconds. Hungry stomachs will thank you, oh wise dinner gods and goddesses!
Thai Peanut Soba Noodle Salad
1 package whole grain noodles. cook and chill completely.
1/2 to 1 cucumber. halve, scrape seeds and slice thinly.
1/2 to 1 cup shredded or thinly sliced carrots.
1/4 to 1/2 cup cilantro (i love you cilantro) chopped fine.
1/2 to 3/4 cup trader joe's brand spicy peanut vinaigrette**{see below for ingredients}.
optional chopped cashews or peanuts sprinkled on top
toss together and serve.
eat, enjoy, be the dinner hero. then call me and tell me how much you love it!
** {for the unfortunate friends who do not have a trader joe's, the ingredients on the bottle read: sugar, rice vinegar, roasted peanut oil, soy sauce, water, peanut butter, jalapeno peppers, sesame oil, cilantro, chili powder, ground cumin, red bell peppers, salt, garlic powder, onion powder. you can play around with these ingredients until you find the right combination for your own version of a spicy peanut vinaigrette!}
In case you do decide to give the tofu noodles a try, here is the brand I found at Sprouts, our organic local market. I am pretty certain I've seen them at Whole Foods as well.
1 package whole grain noodles. cook and chill completely.
1/2 to 1 cucumber. halve, scrape seeds and slice thinly.
1/2 to 1 cup shredded or thinly sliced carrots.
1/4 to 1/2 cup cilantro (i love you cilantro) chopped fine.
1/2 to 3/4 cup trader joe's brand spicy peanut vinaigrette**{see below for ingredients}.
optional chopped cashews or peanuts sprinkled on top
toss together and serve.
eat, enjoy, be the dinner hero. then call me and tell me how much you love it!
** {for the unfortunate friends who do not have a trader joe's, the ingredients on the bottle read: sugar, rice vinegar, roasted peanut oil, soy sauce, water, peanut butter, jalapeno peppers, sesame oil, cilantro, chili powder, ground cumin, red bell peppers, salt, garlic powder, onion powder. you can play around with these ingredients until you find the right combination for your own version of a spicy peanut vinaigrette!}
In case you do decide to give the tofu noodles a try, here is the brand I found at Sprouts, our organic local market. I am pretty certain I've seen them at Whole Foods as well.
You really can't go wrong with this calorie count!
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