BL often chides me on my OCD-like behavior to decide which restaurant to eat at that night. First, I search the online menu, looking for interesting flavor combinations and of course, veg friendly meals. I will probably look at the menu a few times throughout the day, imagining what I will order that evening and checking my decision against reviews on google and yelp. I promise you, most of the time I know what I’m going to order before we even sit down.
Oh my goodness I wish I was kidding. As I write the above paragraph it has finally dawned on my how crazy I can get about food sometimes.
Please send help.
Anyways, there are a few dishes I am always looking for-korma at Indian restaurants, gnocci at Italian, big, beautiful salads at casual eateries and beets. When beets are in season they are all I want to eat.
Lately though, I’ve been looking for nuts.
Yes, nuts. I’m not sure what the recent obsession is but if I find a dish that contains nuts, I’m probably going to order it. Hence my recent meals out: pepita salad, banana walnut pancakes, and a weekly treat of peanut butter cupcakes.
Clearly, these noodles were bound to happen. A combination of my all-time love (pasta) and my current fave (peanuts). Set on a crunchy chopped salad for good measure. A match made in DK heaven.
Plus, it’s like 3 dishes in one! Fresh salad, creamy peanut noodles and roasted tempeh.
Dig in.
What foods are you currently craving?
Scale
Ingredients
Peanut Dressing:
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
- 1/2 cup water
Salad Ingredients:
- 1 medium cucumber, peeled and seeded, sliced into 1/2 moons
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 1/2 cup chopped scallions
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1 red pepper, sliced into very thin strips
- 8 oz. rice noodles or whole wheat linguini
Maple-Ginger Tempeh:
- 8 oz. tempeh
- 3 tbsp. soy sauce
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp. fresh grated ginger
Instructions
- For the Tempeh:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all ingredients except the tempeh in a bowl and whisk together.
- Slice tempeh into cubes or on the diagonal. For an 8oz. cake, I slice the tempeh into 1/4ths lengthwise, in 1/2 width-wise and then each slice into a 1/2 triangle.
- Place tempeh slices into a oven safe baking dish and top with maple-ginger sauce.
- If you have time, let sit for 30 minutes while you prepare the dressing and prep the salad ingredients.
- Bake for 15 minutes per side, until done.
- For the dressing:
- Combine all ingredients together in a food processor or high powered blender.
- If it’s too thick, add a bit more water, 1 tbsp. at a time.
- For the Salad:
- Prepare the rice noodles as directed on the package. For most, it will be to soak or boil for a few moments until tender, drain, and rinse with cold water.
- Toss the vegetable ingredients together and place 1 heaping cup or so onto plates.
- Toss 1/2 cup of peanut sauce with rinsed noodles. If you need more dressing, add it!
- Top salad with noodles and top with cooked tempeh.
- Garnish with cilantro and/or roasted peanuts.
Meet Alex Caspero
Alex Caspero is a Registered Dietitian, New York Times Bestselling Plant-Based Chef and mom of two. She aims to cut through the nutrition noise by providing real-life, nourishing tips for body and mind. Learn more about Alex.
