Blissed-Out Thai Salad with Peanut Tempeh

By Minimalist Baker

30-minute Thai- and Indonesian-inspired salad with rainbow veggies, noodles, and marinated peanut tempeh! Dress with peanut sauce for a flavorful, nourishing, plant-based meal!

Ingredients

• 6 ounces vermicelli noodles
• 2 medium whole carrots, "ribboned" with a vegetable peeler or spiralizer
• 2 stalks green onions ((finely chopped))
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 2-3 Tbsp chopped mint
• 1 cup loosely packed spinach ((chopped))
• 1 cup thinly sliced red cabbage
• 1 medium red bell pepper ((thinly sliced))
• 1 batch Marinated Peanut Tempeh
• 1/3 cup salted creamy peanut butter, almond butter, or sunbutter ((plus 1 extra Tbsp as original recipe is written))
• 3 Tbsp gluten-free tamari ((or soy sauce if not GF))
• 3 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp chili garlic sauce ((or sub 1 red Thai chili minced // or 1/4 tsp red pepper flake // amounts as original recipe is written))
• 1 medium lime, juiced ((yields ~3 Tbsp or 45 ml))
• ~1/4 cup water ((to thin))

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook rice noodles according to package instructions, rinse, drain, and set aside to cool.

2. 2

   To a large serving bowl, add cooked and cooled noodles, carrots, green onions, cilantro, mint, spinach, cabbage, and red bell pepper and toss loosely to combine. Set aside.

3. 3

   Make dressing by adding peanut butter, tamari, maple syrup, chili sauce (or chili or red pepper), and lime juice to a small mixing bowl and whisking to combine. Then add warm water a little at a time until a thick but pourable sauce is achieved.

4. 4

   Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more maple syrup for sweetness, chili sauce (chili or red pepper) for heat, lime juice for acidity, or tamari for saltiness. Set aside.

5. 5

   Add 1/2 of the tempeh (optional) and 1/2 of the sauce to the salad and toss. Then top with remaining tempeh and sauce. Serve immediately. Leftovers store well in the refrigerator up to 4-5 days, though best when fresh. I find that, if making ahead of time, it's better to leave the salad undressed and store the tempeh separately.