Thai Crunch Salad
Healthy Thai Crunch Salad with naturally sweetened peanut sauce, and crispy air-fryer edamame. Easy, protein-packed, vegan, and gluten-free.
Servings: 5 people
Calories: 425kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups frozen shelled edamame
- Drizzle of neutral cooking oil or sesame or olive oil
- Dash of garlic powder
- Salt to taste
- 90 grams rice vermicelli noodles (about 2 bricks) or noodles of choice
For the peanut sauce:
- 5 to 6 small pitted medjool dates soaked in hot water for 15 minutes minimum and drained, or maple syrup
- ½ cup peanut butter almond, cashew, or SunButter
- 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 small lime juice
- 2 teaspoons sriracha
- 1 ½ inches ginger
- 2 cloves garlic
For the salad:
- 1 large red bell pepper small dice
- ¼ medium head red cabbage finely chopped
- 1 ½ cups sugar snap peas thinly sliced
- 3 green onion thinly sliced (green and white parts)
- ⅓ cup chopped cilantro or mint or basil
- 2 to 3 tablespoons hemp hearts (optional for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven or air fryer to 400ºF.
- Cook edamame (optional): Transfer the edamame to a sieve and run them under warm water to thaw. Place them on a clean dish towel or paper towel and pat dry. Transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with garlic powder, and salt to taste. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until crispy, tossing them halfway. Or air fry for 10 minutes, or until crispy.
- Rehydrate noodles: Place the noodles in a medium heatproof bowl and add boiling water to cover by about 2 inches high. Cover and set aside for about 3 minutes, or until tender. Drain. Chop them into about 2-inch pieces using kitchen shears as desired (optional).
- Make the dressing: Transfer the soaked dates, peanut butter, tamari, rice vinegar, lime juice, sriracha, ginger, garlic, and ¼ cup water to the canister of a blender. Blend on high until creamy. Add more water or lime juice until the desired taste and consistency.
- Combine: Transfer the edamame, noodles, bell pepper, cabbage, sugar snap peas, green onion, and cilantro to a large bowl. Add the desired amount of peanut sauce and mix well to combine. Garnish with the hemp seeds, if using.
Notes
-
- Bake or air fry the edamame for even more texture and deliciousness. While this step is optional, it takes this chopped Asian Crunch Salad to the next level. Dry the thawed edamame to remove excess moisture. Spread them onto a large baking sheet in a single layer. Broil them for an additional 3 minutes after baking for extra crispy.
- Substitute the dates with maple syrup to taste. Blend the sauce ingredients and then add the maple syrup.
- For low carb: Omit the noodles and use a sugar-free sweetener.
- Chop the cooked noodles with kitchen shears so they are easier to eat.
Nutrition
Calories: 425kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 300mg | Potassium: 821mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 2035IU | Vitamin C: 94mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 4mg
