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Healthy Waists, Healthy Wallets: Cold Noodle Salad
I don’t know if y’all are aware of this, but it’s hot outside.
I mean, it’s HOT. Like surface-of-the-sun hot. So what do you do when you want to feed your family a healthy meal, but it’s hot AND there’s a cyclospora outbreak raging over the country?
You make cold noodle salads, of course.
First of all, cyclospora and the resulting cyclosporiasis are no joke. This salad uses fresh vegetables, and some of you might want to move on to another recipe. To avoid possible contamination, you should do the following:
- Avoid iceberg and pre-shredded lettuce, other salad greens, green onions, fresh basil, fresh cilantro, raspberries, and snow peas.
- Wash your hands with hot water and soap WELL before and after handling produce.
- Scrub your produce under running water with a vegetable brush, but don’t use soap.
- Remove the outer leaves, layers, or peel of the fruit or vegetable, if possible.
- If there is a damaged area, cut it off and dispose.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s talk about these cold noodle salads!
These are, as many of my recipes, what my family calls “refrigerator Velcro.” You can add almost anything you like, and they are a great way to use up leftovers. This one I’ve got here is made using leftover grilled pork tenderloin, but you could use anything from rotisserie chicken to ham to tofu to seafood. Same with the vegetables. Use up leftover grilled, steamed, or roasted vegetables. Use up leftover salad dressings. Get wild and wacky – it will still taste good, I promise!
I happened to have some rice vermicelli noodles, and until it’s no longer hotter than the hinges of hell out there, I’m going to keep using them because you don’t boil these. You soak them in boiling water, and a kettle (whether electric or on the stove) doesn’t heat up the kitchen as much as a stockpot for spaghetti.
Like so many recipes I make these days, I tend to keep the ingredients separate and let people add what they like to their salad plates. That way, no one whines that they don’t like something. It can be for omnivores, pescatarians (why don’t we call them “vegequarians”?), vegetarians, and vegans, too.
(Why, yes. I am a parent of former picky eaters. Why do you ask?)
So here’s the last noodle salad I made for the family. I hope you like it as much as we did!
Cold Noodle Salad
Ingredients
For the salad
12 to 14 ounces rice vermicelli (you can get these at Central Market)
1 small head red cabbage, outer leaves removed and the head shredded or finely cut
1 to 2 carrots, peeled and shredded or julienned or sliced
1 small red onion, peeled and halved and thinly sliced
1 English cucumber, peeled and julienned or sliced
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 red jalepeño, thinly sliced
1 package cremini or shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced (remove the tough stems from the shitake, if using)
1 can baby corn, drained
Any other vegetable you like, really
Toasted sesame seeds, white or black or both
Leftover grilled or roasted meat or seafood, tofu, edamame, or other source of protein (I made this once with some lentils, and it was great!)
For the dressing (You can use a premade salad dressing, but I have always made my own)
Juice of 3 limes
¼ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 shallot, peeled and minced
1 1-inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon of your favorite chile crunch
2 tablespoons peanut butter (optional)
Directions
Cook the rice vermicelli according to package directions. While the vermicelli is soaking, cut and shred your vegetables and dice your protein, if necessary.
Once you’ve drained the vermicelli, toss it in a bit of olive oil to prevent it from sticking together.
To make the dressing, simply place everything in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake well to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Because I’ve got one person in my house who doesn’t like peanut butter, I divide the dressing into two jars.
To serve, simply put everything out so people can make their own bowls. We use big pasta bowls for this, as people can toss their ingredients with the dressing. This makes enough for 4 to 6 people with leftovers. (It makes a great lunch, too!)
Ideas for dressings:
- Champagne vinaigrette
- Miso dressing
- Barbecue vinaigrette
- Avocado vinaigrette
- Greek vinaigrette
- Toasted sesame dressing
- Ginger dressing
- Green goddess (we LOVE this one!)
- Caesar dressing
- Italian dressing (creamy or regular)
- Really any kind of dressing you like!
