Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad With Grilled Tofu & Peanut Mint Gremolata

If cool and refreshing is how you like your salads then this Vietnamese inspired salad might be your true calling. I don't usually cook with these flavors, but Kittee brought something like this to a picnic and I loved it! And when she told me there was no added fat in the dressing I was all over it like Fizzle to nooch. Silky rice noodles, cool cucumbers and refreshing mint are spiced up with some chili garlic sauce and sweet lime dressing. I liked it best served with extra lime wedges and extra chili garlic sauce that you can spoon on to your liking. The grilled tofu is simply marinated in a little of the dressing to give it a little something, but I kept the flavor pretty simple. It's all sprinkled with a gremolata of peanut, mint and lime for added flavor and texture. The directions look crazy long just because there are a few things going on, but I swear this should take 1/2 an hour if you time it right. Oh one more thing...the serving size on this is ginormous and it's still pretty low in calories and fat, so if you like to feast with your eyes, this works. Oh! One more last thing: this salad is keeping great in my fridge.

Tip:
To get the timing right, let me break it down:
Put water on to boil.
Make the dressing, marinade the tofu.
Make gremolata.
Cook noodles.
Prep veggies.
Drain noodles.
Assemble salad.
Grill tofu.

For the dressing:
1/3 cup warm water
3 tablespoons agave nectar
3 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes, depending how juicy your limes are)
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the salad:
12 oz extra firm tofu
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 8 oz package thin rice noodles (vermicelli)

1 medium cucumber, in thinly slices half moons (1 heaping cup or 6 oz)
1/2 small red onion, about 1/3 cup, thinly slices
4 oz string beans sliced in 1 inch pieces, about a cup
4 oz mixed greens (2 cups)
1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leavees

For peanut mint gremolata
1/4 cup peanuts, very well chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped mint
Zest of half a lime

To make the dressing, mix all ingredients together and stir vigorously. Pour into the noodles and toss to coat.

Drain the tofu and press out excess water with your hands (see note). Slice into 8 equal pieces widthwise, then slice those rectangle corner to corner to form long triangles. Place in a single layer on a large plate and pour 6 tablespoons of dressing over slices. Also drizzle on 2 teaspoons of soy sauce. Let marinate while you prepare everything else, flipping occasionally.

First cook the rice noodles according to package directions. Usually they say to boil water, turn the heat off and add the noodles for about 8 minutes. Be careful not to overcook, a little texture is good for noodle salads.

Once cooked, drain in a colander and run the noodles under cold water for about a minute until they are fully cooled. Set aside to drain while you finish prepping everything.

Mix all of the vegetables and the mint leaves into the noodles. Just use your hands, it's messy, but the best way I found to incorporate everything. Mix the dressing into the noodles and toss to coat. Refrigerate while you prepare everything else.

Combine everything for the gremolata in a small bowl.

Preheat a cast iron grill or skillet over medium high heat.

Spray the grill with cooking spray and grill the tofu on each side for about 4 minutes, or until grill marks appear. If using a pan, spray with cooking spray and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Add the excess marinade to the noodles.

To serve: Scoop two cups of noodles into a pretty bowl. Wedge two or three tofu pieces on the side of the bowl. Sprinkle with gremola and serve with lime wedges and extra chili garlic sauce.

If cool and refreshing is how you like your salads then this Vietnamese inspired salad might be your true calling. I don't usually cook with these flavors, but Kittee brought something like this to a picnic and I loved it! And when she told me there was no added fat in the dressing I was all over it like Fizzle to nooch. Silky rice noodles, cool cucumbers and refreshing mint are spiced up with some chili garlic sauce and sweet lime dressing. I liked it best served with extra lime wedges and extra chili garlic sauce that you can spoon on to your liking. The grilled tofu is simply marinated in a little of the dressing to give it a little something, but I kept the flavor pretty simple. It's all sprinkled with a gremolata of peanut, mint and lime for added flavor and texture. The directions look crazy long just because there are a few things going on, but I swear this should take 1/2 an hour if you time it right. Oh one more thing...the serving size on this is ginormous and it's still pretty low in calories and fat, so if you like to feast with your eyes, this works. Oh! One more last thing: this salad is keeping great in my fridge.

Tip:
To get the timing right, let me break it down:
Put water on to boil.
Make the dressing, marinade the tofu.
Make gremolata.
Cook noodles.
Prep veggies.
Drain noodles.
Assemble salad.
Grill tofu.

Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user CAROLINAMUSED.