There’s nothing worse than being stuck in a routine salad rut.
You know, when there’s not enough dressing to cover the kale so it’s dry and all you’re doing is chewing and crunching and chewing and asking yourself why am I eating this again? Oh yeah, it’s for my health… (but it’s also for your bikini, let’s be honest), so you keep chewing and chugging water to get it down and afterwards, you can’t stop thinking about candy and cupcakes?
Yep, you’re in a salad rut. We’ve all been there.
Good thing you landed on this vegan and gluten free Crunchy Thai Noodle Salad, because things are about to change for you!
Since getting excited about kale feels a bit forced, (LOL) I made some magic happen in the kitchen and I think you’re going to like it. No more messing around with boring salads that you hate. Time to shake things up by adding elements that transform your salad from boring to UH-MAZING. Next-level salads are all about texture.
This Crunchy Thai Noodle Salad combines a ton of raw veggies like carrot noodles, zoodles, edamame (for plant protein!) and purple cabbage, with a few hearty leaves of kale. Had to include some carbs, so I chose brown rice noodles but you could add extra zoodles instead, if that floats your boat. Top it with crushed cashews, cilantro, scallions and crunchy rice noodles, for a little extra somethin’.
Next comes the very cheeky, slightly spicy, oil-free almond butter dressing. Say what?!
Yep, you heard right, almond butter dressing is a thing and should never stop being a thing. Decadent, saucy, spicy, savory and slightly sweet, hitting all the flavor notes you could ever want in a creamy, dreamy magic dressing. Infused with coconut vinegar (from Better Body Foods!), tamari (soy sauce), ginger, sriracha and maple syrup, swirled with almond butter, of course. You could also swap in peanut butter, or sunflower butter for a nut-free version.
One giant bowl of rainbow goodness oozing with vibrant nutrients that all make magic together.
Boring salads, be gone!
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Prep Time:
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PinIngredients
- 4 ounces brown rice noodles
- 1 cup shelled edamame
- 2 large carrots, spiralized (or thinly chopped)
- 1 zucchini, spiralized (or thinly chopped)
- 1 cup purple cabbage, thinly sliced
- 3–4 leaves of kale (about 4 cups, divided)
- optional toppings: crushed cashews/peanuts, scallions, crunchy rice noodles, cilantro
- lime wedges, for spritzing
Spicy Almond Butter Dressing
- 1/4 cup raw almond butter (or peanut butter/sunflower butter)
- 2 tablespoons coconut vinegar (or rice vinegar)
- 1–2 tablespoons warm water, to desired consistency
- 1 tablespoon tamari (or low-sodium soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (or agave)
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger, or freshly minced ginger
- 1–2 teaspoons sriracha (or more, to taste) or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a medium-sized pot, bring water to a boil. Remove from heat and add in the brown rice noodles for 5 minutes. Drain and place noodles in a bowl of cold water (to avoid noodles from sticking together) and set aside, until ready to assemble the salad.
- Meanwhile, prepare edamame according to directions (I usually steam in the microwave in a small bowl filled with water!).
- Using a spiralizer, spiralize the carrots and zucchini. Chop the cabbage and kale.
- Prepare the dressing in a small bowl, by whisking all ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Could take a few minutes of mixing!
- Divide all veggies and noodles into two bowls. Sprinkle with optional toppings. Drizzle with almond butter dressing.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2
Is this best cold or hot?
So yummy! They key is to chop the noodles and mix everything well so you have a little bit of each ingredient in every bite.
I absolutely hate salads, and as a college student I find it extremely hard to eat veggies when I can just as easily eat junk food but I have to say… This looks AMAZING! I’m moving away from home in February to go work at Disney World for an internship, and I’ll be halfway across the country from my family, which I never have been, and I’m looking to go plant based in order to lose some weight! All the recipes here seem so delicious and super easy to make between my work and school schedule for next semester! Thank you SO much for making the plant based life seem a little more happy, and a little less scary!
Awesome! Perfect blend of flavors.
Very delicious salad. This was a nice, healthy twist from the everyday salad. I’ve tried this recipe and your Spring Roll recipe and they were both awesome. Thank you for posting!
I made this last night and it was DELICIOUS!! Used peanut butter instead of almond butter but it was SO good.
Had this tonight! Super yummy. We had all the “optional toppings” (duh) and did not double the sauce, but wish we had. But that’s just us. We’re saucy people. 😉
just made-absolutely delish!!
Is there a calorie count you can provide per serving?
I made this last week and had it for three days in a row for lunch. I used peanut butter instead of almond butter and I use curly brown rice noodles from Trader Joes. I didn’t know what they were but am going to try the kind used here next time. Also, I had no idea what zoodles were until just now when I googled it, I just cut up the zucchini in quarters. So tasty !
Thanks Carrie! So glad you liked the recipe!
My husband and I made this for lunch all last week and it was so good! Even without the spiralizer (we matchsticked them). Subbed in the maple syrup and soy sauce in dressing and was so yummy. Thanks for the great recipe! We’ll add it to our rotation!
This looks legitimately delicious. I’m definitely going to try this!!
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