I love Asian food. Depending on what it is, there’s something so fresh, vibrant and flavorful about it. Spring Rolls, Kim bap, soba noodles or this lovely bowl of brown rice noodles with fresh vegetables. Eating Asian food like this doesn’t leave me feeling full and heavy but comfortable and satisfied. And because I ate a healthy meal, I feel like I can reward myself with a little something sweet for dessert.
Makes perfect sense to me.
I recently got a garden plot in my community garden and will be planting and growing my own fruits and vegetables this summer. I am so excited. So, the plan is obviously to eat more veggies and to try a variety of things. I absolutely love recipes where you are eating raw vegetables with it. To me, that’s about as healthy as healthy gets. And you get your meal on the table in under 25 minutes. You can’t beat that.
If you enjoy Asian food, give this one a try. . it’s quick, light, refreshing and flavorful! I hope you enjoy!
Fresh Asian Noodle Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 English cucumbers julienned
- 1 cup carrots peeled and julienned; or you can simply use your vegetable peeler to create carrot curls like I did
- 2 cups variety of bell peppers orange, yellow and red; thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 package of regular firm tofu; sliced into thin strips try to let tofu rest on paper towels beforehand so as to remove/drain some of the water. Pat down thoroughly with the paper towels.
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 - 8 oz pack of brown rice noodles; like pad thai noodles or you can use vermicelli noodles
- 1/3 cup sweet red chili sauce like the Thai Kitchen brand
- 1/3 cup brown rice vinegar
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce + more if needed
Toppings:
- peanuts chopped (you can place peanuts in a plastic bag and smash with a rolling pin)
- green onion sliced
- fresh cilantro
- sriracha sauce
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Over medium-high heat, add the sesame oil to a non-stick pan and heat for about 2 minutes. Add the sliced, somewhat dry tofu and fry until golden brown, flipping as you are cooking them. Season with salt and pepper. When finished, set aside on a paper towel lined plate.
- In a large pot of boiling water, cook the noodles according to package directions. Most brown rice noodles only need to be cooked for 4-5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- In a large bowl, toss together all of your cut veggies, the tofu and noodles.
- In a small bowl or mason jar, mix together the sweet red chili sauce, brown rice vinegar and soy sauce. Shake and drizzle over the noodles and toss together. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. (For my photo, I added the soy sauce later)
- Sprinkle on chopped peanuts, green onions, fresh cilantro, sriracha and add a little lime juice. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Flourishing Foodie. If you have not seen/read Heather’s blog. You simply must. It’s absolutely gorgeous and stunning. I am inspired by her blog all the time.
I’m participating in WeekDay Supper again! Need some ideas for dinner this week? Please be sure to check out the rest of these lovely meals starting Tuesday. . have a good one!
- 05/14/13 – Tuesday – Sue’s Nutrition Buzz – Easy Individual Chicken Pot Pies with a Cauliflower Crust
- 05/15/13 – Wednesday – No One Likes Crumbley Cookies – Grilled Ginger Pork with Asian Slaw
- 05/16/13 – Thursday – Noshing With The Nolands – Paprika Chicken
- 05/17/13 – Friday – Family Foodie – Avocado Hummus
Paula @ Vintage Kitchen Notes says
May 13, 2013 at 4:45 amI think I made my first asian recipe last year. And I´m pretty hooked, have most typical ingredients in my pantry, though noodles I´m still trying them out. There are so many different varieties! How exciting to have your own vegetable patch Alice! I had one once and grew all sorts of things. Some are great because they grow like weed, and others because they are just so cute, like carrots and radishes. I would take the carrots while not completely grown, and eat them straight up. They were so sweet tasting. Can´t wait to see what you come up with!
Family Foodie says
May 13, 2013 at 5:49 amWhat a gorgeous recipe Alice! I love that it was inspired by your community garden and love that you shared it during #WeekdaySupper!
sunithi says
May 13, 2013 at 9:20 pmThis looks gorgeous !! My kids love Asian noodles and we always order out. I must try this recipe ! It looks picture perfect !!!
Tara says
May 14, 2013 at 1:53 pmI adore meals like this and your picture is gorgeous!!
Nancy @ gottagetbaked says
May 14, 2013 at 2:08 pmMmm…this is the perfect spring/summer dish – so light, vibrant and refreshing! I could never give up Asian food so thank goodness I live in a city that boasts some of the best Asian food outside of Asia. It’s so awesome that you’re part of the community garden. I can’t wait to see what you’ll be making over the summer. My mom has an amazing garden every year. I get lots of fresh produce without doing any of the work myself 😉 I can’t make anything grow, plus I’m terrified of insects, so gardening is definitely not for me!
Linda | The Urban Mrs says
May 16, 2013 at 12:58 pmWhoaaa I envy you, that garden plot is one of my dreams. Hope I will be able to do the same when I have a home later. Meanwhile, let me have this noodle bowl. Yes, me + noodle = BFF.
Heather says
April 15, 2015 at 12:01 pmThank you for the kind words. This recipe turned out fantastic. Big hugs.
Heather