Simple Delicious Vegan/Plant-based Recipe: Peanut Butter Noodle Salad

We’re excited to share our first recipe with you! It’s one of our top 10 meals, and one of our original recipes Natalie created back when we first started. It’s simple to assemble, easy to prep, and most importantly, super delicious.

Why we love this recipe:

1. There’s so much colour! It’s a rainbow of veggies.
2. You can get all the ingredients in one trip to Superstore!
3. It’s a great introduction to smoked tofu if you’ve never tried it before. You’ll see how versatile it is and how you can use it in your own cooking.
4. There’s really not much cooking involved, beyond the noodles. Sauteeing the cabbage is optional, and the whole recipe should take about 15–20 minutes.
5. It’s easy to modify to your own tastes. Have some other veggies you’d like to substitute? Go for it! It’s also easy to scale up or down for one or ten people.

Mike and Natalie had a bit of fun filming their first recipe video — there is definitely more to video than they thought. Hope you enjoy it!

​Planted Meals Peanut Butter Noodle Salad

Serves: 4
Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty level: Easy
Category: Mains, Lunch Ideas, Sides

Main Ingredients

• 260 g uncooked chow mein style noodles*
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil, for tossing with noodles
• 120 g smoked tofu
• 140 g frozen edamame, defrosted
• 1 medium carrot (~80g), grated or julienned
• ¼ small red cabbage, sliced thin
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
• 2 stalks of green onions, sliced crosswise in rings
• white or black sesame seeds for garnish

*Make sure to check the ingredient list as these noodles often contain egg. There are a few brands that have just wheat and salt as the ingredients.

Dressing Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1½ tablespoons garlic chili sauce
• 3 tablespoons agave
• 3 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• ¼ cup hot water

 

1. Prepare the dressing by mixing all the ingredients EXCEPT the hot water together and whisking well. Stream in the hot water slowly, and add as much or as little hot water to your liking. Taste and adjust seasoning to your preferred tastes (more peanut butter for creaminess, more chili garlic sauce for spice, or more soy sauce for salt).
2. Boil a large pot of water on high and cook noodles according to package instructions. Drain well and rinse under cold water. Toss with 2 tablespoons of sesame oil to keep them from sticking. Set aside.
3. Prep your veggies and tofu: grate or julienne the carrots, slice the cabbage into thin strips, julienne the red pepper, and slice the green onions into small rings for garnish. Cut the tofu into small 1cm cubes. Defrost your edamame under cold water if still frozen.
4. Optional: Heat up a small pan on medium-high heat. Once hot, add a dash of sesame oil and add sliced cabbage. Stir and fry until lightly cooked, enough to get the raw edge off. You can skip this step if you prefer raw cabbage.
5. To serve, portion noodles into four bowls. Add your carrots, red peppers, red cabbage, edamame, and smoked tofu around the noodles. Drizzle the peanut butter dressing on top of each bowl, and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.