Cold Noodles with Peanut Dressing

Austin gets pretty hot and humid in summer. I’d become used to pleasant weather, so Austin summers hit me pretty hard. This was the first time I actively looked for cold dishes. Cold noodles are one of my favorites. They’re more satisfying than a salad, but also cool down your system. This dish is also perfect to finish off any leftover veggies. To make it even better, the dish is completely vegan! 😬

Servings: 2, Prep time: 20 minutes, Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

Rice noodles 8 oz
Carrot 1 medium
Cucumber 1/2 medium
Button Mushrooms 10-12
Unsweetened Peanut butter 1/4 cup
Soy sauce 2 tbsp
Vinegar 1 tbsp
Sugar 2 tsp
Roasted sesame oil 1 tsp
Water 3 tbsp
Salt as required
Toasted sesame seeds 2 tsp
Cilantro for garnishing

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix together the peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, vinegar, water and sugar. Taste and add salt if needed. The dressing should be a salty since this is the only source of seasoning for the dish. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill
Slice the mushrooms thickly and sauté till all the water has evaporated. Set aside to cool
Cook the noodles according to package instructions. Drain and toss with a little bit of sesame oil to prevent sticking.
Julienne the carrot and cucumber.
In a bowl, add the noodles, the dressing and the vegetables. Toss thoroughly so that the noodles are well coated.
Serve in a bowl and too with chopped cilantro!

Tips

The dressing needs a small amount of water for everything to dissolve and become homogeneous. The quantity of water will depend on the peanut butter used. I prefer using all natural thick peanut butter and therefore it needs more water to work here. If your peanut butter is runny, add water 1 tsp at a time until the required consistency is reached
Unsweetened peanut butter is the best kind of peanut butter. I always make sure the ingredients listed are just peanuts. However, if you use a sweetened peanut butter, do not add any sugar to the dressing
The dressing can be made 24 hours in advance. Just cook the noodles and toss when you are ready to eat
I like to run cold water through my noodles after they’re done cooking and massage them a bit. This helps to release any extra starch on the noodles!
Do not toss the noodles with the dressing until you are ready to eat. They will become soggy. To pack these in a lunch box, give the dressing separately in a small container
I’ve used carrots, mushrooms and cucumbers here, but you can really add any vegetable you want. The only required vegetable is cucumber.
The recipe can also be made gluten free. Just find gluten free versions on soy sauce etc…

This is one of our favorite dishes to eat for lunch. It’s light and refreshing. We can both go back to work even after consuming humongous smiths if cold noodles!😄 I hope you give this a try and as always let me know how it goes… 😊

Crispy Tofu with Slaw

This recipe was more of an attempt to make something good with whatever I had in my fridge and pantry staples. I’d never made any of the elements of the dish on their own, let alone trying them together. I shouldn’t have worried too much though. It turns out that improvising like this can also yield a pretty good lunch.

I know the dish doesn’t look too appetizing, but I promise that’s because I suck at plating. It’s something I’m still working on… 😅 The dish is packed with flavor and it’s all vegan!

Servings: 2, Prep time: 15 minutes, Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

For the Crispy Tofu

Extra firm tofu 4-6 oz
Non dairy milk (I used oat) 3/4 cup
Cornstarch 1/2 tsp
Salt 1/4 tsp
Pepper 1/4 tsp
Chili powder 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Garam masala 1/2 tsp (optional)
All purpose flour/ whole wheat flour 3/4 cup
Bread crumbs 1 cup
Canola oil 1 tbsp

For the Gravy

Canola oil 2 tbsp
All purpose flour/ whole wheat flour 2 tbsp
Salt according to taste
Chili powder 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder 2 tsp
Garam masala 1 tsp (optional)
Lemon juice 1-2 tsp (according to taste)
Non dairy milk (I used oat, but others would be better) 1 cup
Water 1/2 cup

For the Salad

Cabbage 1/4 head
Tomato 1 medium
Carrot 1 medium
Pear 1/2 medium
Vinegar 1 tsp
Olive oil 1 tsp
Salt and pepper according to taste

Instructions

Preheat the over to 350 F (180 C). Pat the tofu dry using a paper towel and cut it into bite sized pieces
Set up a dredging station with a bowl of milk, a container with flour and a container with breadcrumbs. Dissolve the cornstarch in the milk and mix the spices in the flour. To dredge, coat the tofu pieces first with the flour mix, then dip them in the milk and then coat with the breadcrumbs
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the dredged tofu pieces on it with plenty of space between the pieces. Drizzle the canola oil on the tofu pieces. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes, flipping halfway
In the meantime, heat 2 tbsp of canola oil in a pan. Then add 2 tbsp flour and sauté till the raw flour smell goes away, about 1-2 minutes
Slowly add 1 cup milk while mixing vigorously to make sure there are no lumps.
Then add 1/2 cup water and all the spices listed under the gravy ingredients and mix well
Bring to a simmer and cook till desired consistency is reached. You can also add more water if the gravy is too thick. Set aside till serving
Finely slice the cabbage and julienne the carrot. Halve the tomato and scoop out the seeds, then slice thinly. Cut the pear into thin bite sized pieces
Dress the salad with vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper just before serving
In a plate, arrange the tofu and salad. Pour the gravy on the tofu and enjoy!

Tips

I use oat milk in most of my recipes, but other milks would work better here. Oat milk tends to turn slimy when heated, so it’s not a great choice for gravies unless you don’t mind the texture
The salad can be made of any vegetables you have on hand. Just add at least one fruit to the mix for sweetness, or 1/2 tsp sugar in the dressing

This is the perfect meal for a weekday and doesn’t take that long to make. You can also pre cook the tofu and freeze it for future use, so all that needs to be done is making the gravy and throwing a salad together. I hope you give this a try and as always, let me know how it goes! 😬

Pineapple Summer Salad

I love adding fruits to my salads. It’s a nice way to get a serving of fruits added to the meal and provides a natural sweetness to the salad. This one is one my favorites, and it’s perfect for a nice sunny afternoon. It also has a crunchy element and a tangy dressing to balance out the dish. Usually, I don’t add any green to this salad, but the lettuce worked so well here. A big perk of this salad is that all ingredients are low FODMAP. This means you can eat a LOT of it and not worry about gas!

Serving Size: 2 Prep/ Assembly Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

Bell pepper any color 1 medium
Green Leaf lettuce 3-4 leaves
Cucumber 1 small
Diced Pineapple 1 cup
Sunflower seeds 2 tbsp
Olive oil 1 tsp
Lemon juice 1 tbsp
Water 1 tbsp
Honey 1 tsp
Salt and pepper as needed

Instructions

Slice the lettuce, cucumber and bell pepper into bite sized pieces
Mix the olive oil, vinegar, water, honey, salt and pepper in a small bowl until emulsified
Mix all the vegetables, the pineapple and the sunflower seeds in a large bowl and toss with the dressing.

Tips

I like to buy a whole pineapple and cut it myself. It seems daunting, but a sharp knife gets the job done super fast!
Any kind of lettuce will work for this recipe, but green leaf is one of the most nutritious
Agave syrup or other liquid sweetener can be used in place of honey to make the recipe vegan!
This salad should not be made ahead, but precutting vegetables and mixing it all up when needed works really well
I don’t discard the seeds of the cucumber, but it can be done to reduce the amount of moisture in the salad

I hope you give this recipe a try, and as always please let me know how it goes!