Veggie Thai Noodle Salad

 Hello! Oh man do I have a super duper delicious Veggie Thai Noodle Salad recipe for you all today. Yum. Just look!

But first, exciting news. Today I was featured in Cooking Quinoa! If you missed my Sage Maple Chickpeas + Creamy Pumpkin Quinoa & Millet post you can take a look at my feature here at Cooking Quinoa. A big thanks to Wendy, for asking me if I wanted to be featured. Thanks, Wendy! 

Since I'm feeling exceptionally feisty today for no apparent reason, I thought I'd push my" vegan propaganda" on everyone with a quote. Because that is what vegans do. Hadn't you heard? 

Well said Leo, well said indeed. I know some of you will think that's a pretty grand statement, but I don't. And since this is my little corner of the internet that I share with my dear readers, I can do what I want. Sentient beings that experience life and emotions and in general do not want to be killed, especially for the pleasure of humans, I am sure...means something to me. And I think it should mean something to you too. 

Today, I heard that "...it is an unwritten rule of veganism that you must be prepared to answer silly hypothetical questions..." and I have to completely agree with that statement. "Okay, so what if...it was the apocalypse and you had to hunt and eat animals or you'd starve to death? What then? What would you do then?" Gahhh! It's enough to slap a person upside the head, but hypothetically I'm not into violence...so...

Anyway back to this salad, it's seriously yummilicious you guys. I honestly got spell-check corrected for that word, haha. But really, this Veggie Thai Noodle Salad is brimming with fresh and crunchy veggies, fresh and aromatic herbs, and soft rice noodles that are laden with a Thai style dressing, and topped with crushed peanuts.

Veggie Thai Noodle Salad

Inspired by Bird and Cleaver

Serves 6

• -- For The Salad--
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned
• 1 small daikon (165 grams), julienned
• 1 cucumber, rough peeled and julienned
• 2 large carrots, julienned
• 14 oz. dry stir-fry style rice noodles
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup peanuts, crushed (mix in or garnish)
• sesame seeds, for garnish
• --For The Dressing--
• 1 lime, juiced (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup sugar or erythritol
• 3 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced very finely
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon grass, minced very finely
• 1 garlic clove, minced very finely
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp. fresh chili paste

First, julienne all those veggies. I have a rockin' julienne peeler that I adore so I used that, but you could just cut them into thin matchsticks or even peel them if you desire. My special peeler can be a bit time consuming, but I feel it's worth it. Then add them to a very large bowl. 

Now, combine all the dressing ingredients and whisk together very well.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and add all the noodles. Submerge them completely and soak, stirring once or twice, for about 10 minutes or according to package. Then, drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside until ready to use.

While the water comes to a boil, slice up the herbs and crush the peanuts, if they need crushing. 

Add the noodles, herbs, and peanuts to the veggies and toss very well to mix.

Then, drizzle on the dressing and toss again coat. Serve chilled and garnish with sesame seeds.

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This salad is best if left to chill for an hour, but it's not a requirement. 

And of course my little guy is always around when I'm cooking.

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Vegan Greek Pasta Salad

Have you ever thought about something so abstractly that it becomes super weird?  It's strange how we eat things. Like, okay...think about it for a minute. We, as humans, take items and consume them. We put them in our mouths and chew them up and then they are gone! Well...for the most part...wierd, huh? I swear I'm not a lunatic, people. Oh god, I better just stop. 

I have exciting news to share. Todd and I are going to see Dave Chappelle! Yea, that's right, he's coming all the way up to The Last Frontier. I know you're surprised. So was I. I cannot wait. I have literally seen every single episode of Dave Chappelle. My brother got the entire boxed set as a gift from his girlfriend wife and of course I had to watch it all. Have any of you seen him live? Also, Wayne Brady is coming here! OMG! I just found that out so I don't yet have tickets.

Alright this is mostly a food blog. So back to the food. Well, my dish today isn't the most Fallish of dishes but who cares, it's delicious. All the profound flavors of "Greek", but vegan! Also, this Vegan Greek Pasta Salad is made with yogurt and only 1 Tbsp. of vegan mayonnaise, so the calories aren't through the roof.  Which is always good. Leaves more room for brownies, you know? You know. Just be sure you don't get a sweetened plain non-dairy yogurt like I did. Whoops! Hello, plain to me means plain...as in...not sweetened. Oh well, it was still yummy.

Vegan Greek Pasta Salad

Adapted from Running to The Kitchen

Serves 6

• 9  oz. dry pasta (I like the big elbow macaroni) 
• 1 cucumber, rough peeled and diced small
• 1/2 medium red onion, minced
• 2 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped
• 1/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and minced
• 2 green onions, sliced thinly
• 1/2 tsp. dried dill
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/2-1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 6 oz. plain non-dairy yogurt (I used almond yogurt)
• 1 Tbsp. vegan mayonnaise 

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente or according to the package. You may even want to undercook the pasta a little bit, especially if the salad will be stored for a few hours. As the leftovers sit they will absorb the liquids, softening the pasta. 

Meanwhile, add all the remaining ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. 

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When the pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse it with cool water until the pasta is cold. Then mix it in with the rest of the ingredients. 

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This salad is best allowed to rest in the fridge so the flavors can mingle, but that didn't stop me! 

For fun, what am I listening to? Motion City Soundtrack – The Future Freaks Me Out

[yumprint-recipe id='8']Good, now I can go eat some brownies.

Sesame Kale Salad with Millet and Sprouted Beans

I have a secret and I feel that I am compelled to confess.  First, let me start by saying I love me some kale. I'm on that damn kale bandwagon, people. Seriously. I'm vegan...how could I not be? Well, here goes, I am kind of embarrassed to tell you that I am not all that into kale salads. What!? Oh, for shame! I know, I know...I have at least a handful of kale salad recipes here on my very own site.

It's true though, you know. They're just not really my bag. I will sometimes enjoy the occasional kale salad, however, I am very particular about them. They have to be pretty exceptional for me to really enjoy them and let's just say that this Sesame Kale Salad with Millet and Sprouted Beans blew my socks clean off, you guys! 

This is the best freaking kale salad I've ever had. Scratch all those other kale salad recipes you've got floating around and make this one instead. It is sooooo good. A new staple in our house for sure. Even Todd, Captain Vegan Junk Food Man, liked it. Todd...enjoying a kale salad...what is happening?! 

Creamy millet, hearty beans, sweet carrot ribbons and a flavorful sesame dressing with toasted sesame seeds all mingle with salted, massaged kale to make up my new favorite kale salad.

Hey, I think I actually do like kale salad afterall...

Sesame Kale Salad with Millet and Sprouted Beans 

Makes 6 large servings

Inspired by the lovely Scandi Home

• --For The Salad--
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds
• 1 1/2 cups sprouted bean trio, dry
• 4 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup millet
• 1 cup water
• 1 bunch of kale, de-stemmed and chopped
• 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 large carrot, peeled into ribbons
• --For The Dressing--
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. sugar or erythritol 
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 green onion, sliced

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spread the sesame seeds on a baking sheet and when the oven reaches temperature, bake them for about 10 minutes or until just browned and fragrant. Careful not to let them burn.

In a large saucepan bring the dry beans and 4 1/2 cups water to a boil. Then cover, and turn down to a simmer. Allow to cook for about 20-30 minutes. Test the beans for your preferred doneness. Drain, rinse and set aside for later.

In a small saucepan add the millet only and toast over medium heat for a few minutes. Then, add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil.  Cover, and turn down to a simmer. Allow to cook for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to sit, covered for about 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside for later. 

Add the kale to a large salad bowl and sprinkle it with the salt. Massage the kale for a minute or two. This will make it a little more tender. Add in the carrot ribbons and the sesame seeds and toss to mix. 

Combine all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl or pitcher and whisk well to combine. 

Add the cooked beans to the kale and toss well to mix. Then, drizzle in the dressing and add the cooked millet and toss well to combine. Make sure to break up any millet clumps. Break it up, millet!

Serve at room temperature, then refrigerate any leftovers. 

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