the ingredients of this recipe are more or less the same as pad thai, but this version is served cold like a salad.

it can easily be bulked and prepped the day ahead. just toss the salad in a bit of the dressing to keep the noodles from sticking together in the fridge — a great option for a packed lunch!

Serves 2

Ingredients (Salad)

1/2 pack (300g) firm tofu, cubed
2 tbsps. gf tamari
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. garlic powder
80 g dried rice noodles
1/4 red cabbage, shredded
1 bell pepper, julienned or thinly sliced
80-100g bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
any combination of: green onion, cilantro, mint, basil, chopped
12 large shrimp, deshelled and deveined (omit if vegan)
roasted peanuts, crushed
fried shallots, to garnish
fried garlic to garnish

Ingredients (Tamarind Peanut Dressing)

1 tbsp. tamarind paste
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. fish sauce/gf tamari (if vegan)
1 tsp. all natural peanut butter
1 tsp. sambal oelek
1 tsp. paprika
1 garlic clove, minced (optional)

Instructions

Marinate cubed tofu for at least 30 minutes with ingredients from gf tamari to garlic powder in a container. Add enough water to just cover the tofu and set aside in your fridge.

Soak rice noodles in room temperature water for 30 minutes while you prep other ingredients. This will reduce the cooking time dramatically.

Prep red cabbage, bell pepper, bean sprouts and herbs and combine in a large mixing bowl.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients until well combined. Set aside. If you want your dressing to be shelf stable and last up to 2 weeks in the fridge, omit the garlic.

Bring a large and small pot of salted water to a boil.

In the large pot, blanch rice noodles for 30 seconds up to 3 minutes depending on how long you soaked them. The longer the soak, the shorter the cook time. Run noodles under cold water or shock in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Strain and snip noodles with scissors to shorten the length. Add to mixing bowl of veggies.

In the small pot, blanch shrimp for 2-3 minutes, until cooked through. Strain. Add to mixing bowl of noodles and veggies, along with the marinated tofu and drizzle amount of dressing to your liking. Toss to combine.

Garnish with roasted crushed peanuts, fried shallots and garlic.