Thai-Inspired Veggie Noodle Salad

Okay – so this has been a really exciting and stressful past week or two! I had some very high highs and some very low lows, but I’m trying to focus on the positive 🙂 In good news, we made some huge strides forward with wedding planning! I finally got my dress! We also were able to secure the ceremony location that we’ve been waiting for – I’m so thrilled! Other details still of course to follow, but we couldn’t do anything until we had the location!

So, with the stress of about 11 months until our wedding and counting, I wanted to take this time to hire a personal trainer and work on getting lean muscle and toning. I was never a gym rat… I did marching band in high school and college so all I knew were visual arts and cardio. Weights have just always been difficult for me, so I’m thrilled to finally have gained the confidence to ask someone for help. So far it has proven to be quite worth it. My calorie intake is now being tracked and I have to be much more conscious about the food I put in my body. So, I imagine that most of the upcoming recipes on this blog will be low calorie and nutrient-dense. Perfect for summer if you ask me!

This Thai-Inspired Veggie Noodle Salad hits so many marks. It is a FLAVOR BOMB full of a homemade sweet and sour sauce, spiciness from a Thai chile, and texture from the raw veggies. I created this recipe to portion out for my lunches for the work week. In Cronometer (a website and app I use to track my macro and micronutrient intake), it shows that each portion is only 240 calories! So not only are you getting a low-calorie lunch, but you are also getting a ton of protein from the shelled edamame and necessary vitamins from the veggies! Just one serving has 7 grams of fiber, 375% Vitamin A, and 103% Vitamin C. Not too shabby if you ask me!

 As always, please feel free to tag me @nommingwithnicola and #nommingwithnicola so I can see your recreations. I would love to share on social media what you are able to do! And pin for later here:

Print Recipe

Thai-Inspired Veggie Noodle Salad

A fun Thai-inspired salad with spiralized vegetables to mock noodles for a refreshing and cooling summer lunch, all while watching the waist-line!

Prep Time15 mins

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Asian Inspired

Keyword: Edamame, Salad, Spiralized, Vegan

Servings: 5

Calories: 240kcal

Author: Nicola

Ingredients

Dressing Ingredients

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 4 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp agave
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Salad Ingredients

• 2 cups shelled edamame
• 1/2 red onion minced
• 2 green bell peppers diced
• 1 english cucumber chopped
• 1 english cucumber spiralized
• 2-3 large carrots spiralized
• 1 Thai chile* minced
• 1 bunch cilantro chopped
• 1 tsp sesame seeds

Instructions

• Whisk all salad dressing ingredients together. It will emulsify better in a food processor or blender but this is not necessary for a flavorful dressing.
• Spiralize one of the english cucumbers and the carrots. I used the smallest (angel hair) setting, but any size would work well for this. If you do not have a spiralizer, thin strips using a vegetable peeler would also work nicely!
• Optional step: to remove water from the cucumber to reduce the dressing liquids, you can lightly salt the spiralized cucumber and set it out on paper towels for 20 minutes or so. Then blot dry. I personally did not do this step but it would help to reduce the liquid in the final product.
• In a large bowl, add the spirazlied veggies along with the edamame, minced onion, chopped bell pepper, chopped cucumber, diced thai chile. and chopped cilantro.
• Add dressing and mix thoroughly. The longer this can marinate in the dressing, the more flavor it will impart!
• Top with extra chopped cilantro and a sprinkle of sesame seeds for a pretty garnish!

Notes

A spiralizer is a tool I believe is worth investing in for a healthy veggie-take on noodles. However, a mandoline or veggie peeler would work just as well! I use this spiralizer from Paderno and it has gone through the gamut with me – from spiralizing sweet potatoes to dicing entire heads of cabbage in just seconds! 

FOR MEAL PREP – This dish can be split into 5 pint-size mason jars to last you through the week!

*I find that a Thai chile, although much smaller, has the same kick that a jalapeno has. So if you can’t find Thai chiles in your grocery store, just use a good old fashioned jalapeno! I would recommend keeping the ribs & seeds in for extra kick (and spice boosts your metabolism!), but of course, keep the spice level to your liking.