Sunday 27 March 2016

Asian Noodle Salad ft. Tenderstem®* [VEGAN]

Here's a new recipe for a tasty, vegan Asian noodle salad featuring some yummuy Tenderstem®. Head on over to find out more...


Salads are something that I don't feel I've really grasped a full appreciation for. They're never something I've put a whole lot of effort in to, but then I see photos of gorgeous looking salads on the likes of Instagram and it makes me feel a bit like I've been living under a rock. Anyway, when Tenderstem® contacted me asking if I could come up with a yummy recipe featuring some delicious Tenderstem® I knew I had to get my salad hat on and see what I could come up with.

Tenderstem® is a bit of a hybrid vegetable. Think of it as the love child of Mrs Chinese kale and Mr broccoli. They came together to produce this wonderful little green machine that you can eat in it's entirety, stem and all. This makes it great for producing quick meals as there is literally no preparation required other than taking it out of the packet and it cooks nice and quickly too, perfect for when you're short on time.

So let's get down to business shall we. Here we have a tasty, vegan friendly, Asian inspired rice noodle salad with roasted Tenderstem® and baked tofu. It's really pretty quick and easy to put together. The lengthiest part of the process is marinating and baking the tofu, however, that's something that could easily be done ahead of time and kept in the fridge. Just on a side note, I tried a new brand of tofu this time - I used Taifun instead of my usual Cauldron and I have to say the Taifun is so much nicer in both taste and texture (sorry Cauldron!)


VEGAN ASIAN NOODLE SALAD

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
serves 2 with left overs

TOFU:
♥ 1 pack of tofu, drained, pressed and sliced width ways
♥ 2 tbsp soy sauce
♥ 1 inch knob of ginger, finely grated
♥ 2 garlic cloves, crushed
♥ 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
♥ 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
♥ 1 tsp sesame oil
♥ 1/2 tsp syrup (golden, fruit or other)

SALAD:
♥ 1 pack of Tenderstem®
♥ 100g rice noodles, cooked, drained and rinsed in cold water
♥ 2 small carrots, spiralized or thinly sliced
♥ 1/2 cucumber, spiralized or thinly sliced
♥ 2 large handfuls of spinach leaves


SALAD DRESSING:

♥ 1 tbsp soy sauce
♥ 2 tbsp peanut butter
♥ 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
♥ 1 tsp sesame oil
♥ water to loosen (optional)


Here's a new recipe for a tasty, vegan Asian noodle salad featuring some yummuy Tenderstem®. Head on over to find out more...


WHAT TO DO:

♥ Start with preparing the tofu marinade, mix all ingredients listed above, except the tofu, in a jug. Lay the sliced tofu in a shallow dish  and pour the marinade over the top, ensuring that the tofu is nicely coated. Leave to marinate for at least a couple of hours or up to 24 hours.
♥ To bake the tofu lay the marinated slices on a lined baking tray, bake at 180°c for approx 30 minutes, flipping half way through and basting with the leftover marinade. Once baked, chop into bitesized chunks (don't be alarmed that it looks black, that's normal!).
♥ To prepare the Tenderstem®, lightly oil in whatever oil you fancy (I went with a combo of olive and sesame for flavour), season with some salt and pepper and roast at 180°c for 8-10 minutes.
♥ Whip up the dressing by adding all of the ingredients to a bowl and giving them a good mix together with a fork or whisk to break up the peanut butter. Make sure to taste test and tweak to your liking.
♥ To assemble the salad, mix the noodles, carrot and cucumber together. Make a nice bed of spinach on the plate and add your noodle mix to the top. Sprinkle a handful of the baked tofu on top of this and drizzle on your dressing. Finish off with the delicious roasted Tenderstem® for a tasty, nutrient packed meal.


I have to say, I was really impressed with how this recipe turned out. Not only was it easy (even for a major salad novice like me), but it tasted so good too! I'll definitely be enjoying more Tenderstem® in the future too, it's so very yummy and made a lovely addition to my salad.

Let's start a conversation:
What's your favourite way to eat a salad? I'd love to hear your thoughts either in the comments below, or drop me a tweet @_hellojordan


*Tenderstem® very kindly supported this post. However, as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own*


5 comments:

  1. Looks so tasty!! I'm loving the blog design by the way xx
    Eleanor | Green and Aquamarine

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    1. It really was! Thanks for your kind words and for stopping by lovely, so glad you like the design :] xxx

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  2. Sounds & looks super delicious! You're making me hungry haha :) Thanks for sharing x

    Sara / AboutLittleThiings

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    Replies
    1. It was lovely, even if I do say so myself! Thanks for stopping by Sara :] x

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    2. It was lovely, even if I do say so myself! Thanks for stopping by Sara :] x

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Jordan xx