I am in love with the dressing on this salad. The recipe came from Alexandra Stafford’s blog at Alexandra’s Kitchen. If you are not familiar with her blog, I recommend it. The salad has been modified from her Cold Peanut Noodle Salad with Cucumbers recipe. I used brown rice noodles to make this gluten-free and slightly reminiscent of Pad Thai. I also added a lot more vegetables.

If you use a natural brand of peanut butter, make sure you stir it before measuring. The dressing will taste wonderful whatever you use. I had Skippy Crunchy in the pantry since we use it as a treat for the dogs. Since I blended it, the crunchy bits didn’t matter. But, I think it would have still been amazing even with a few chunks.

Is that my peanut butter you are using?

The cucumbers are spiralized. I have an old one that I purchased when the fad first hit Instagram a few years ago. There are now handheld ones on the market. If you don’t have one, a quick search on Amazon with give you lots of options.

I used Trader Joe’s roasted chili peanuts. Any type of roasted ones will do just fine.

If you are using regular cucumbers, peel them first unless the skins are very tender. European, Asian, or Persian cucumbers won’t need peeling.

Cold Rice Noodle Salad with Peanut Dressing

Peanut Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of peanut butter (or another nut butter)
• 1/3 cup of fresh lime juice (from about 4 limes)
• 1/4 cup of soy sauce or tamari
• 2 tablespoons of sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
• 1/4 cup of water plus more if needed
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 teaspoons grated or finely minced fresh ginger
• 2 – 3 teaspoons of chili-garlic sauce, such as Sambal Oelek
• Kosher salt

Method:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, maple syrup, water, ginger, garlic, and chili-garlic sauce. Taste and adjust with more lime juice or salt if needed. Another option is to use your blender. I threw everything in and blended until smooth. The dressing may thicken as it sits, you can add a tablespoon of water until it gets to the right consistency.

The salad ingredients can be varied to what you have on hand. Alexandra’s recipe only called for cucumbers and scallions. I wanted more vegetables in my version. I have added thinly sliced romaine lettuce, julienned carrots, thinly sliced cabbage, or that cole slaw mix that comes in packages at the store. They were all delicious.

Cold Rice Noodle Salad with Peanut Dressing

Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 package of dried brown or regular rice noodles
• 2 large cucumbers (more if small), spiralized
• 1/2 red onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
• 2 sweet peppers, sliced thinly
• handful of snap or sugar peas, blanched for 30 seconds and sliced thinly
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup of roasted peanuts
• 1/2 cup of cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup of fresh mint leaves, chopped

Prepped Vegetables

Prepped Vegetables

Method:

1. Break up the noodles a little before cooking, then cook them according to the package directions. Drain and run cold water over them to cool them.
2. Place the noodles in a large bowl. Pat them dry if they are still wet. Toss them with about 1/4 cup of the dressing. They should be nicely sauced. Add the rest of the vegetables, cilantro, mint, and peanuts. Toss and taste. Add more dressing if needed. My cucumbers with somewhat watery so I drained them on paper towels after spiralizing them, before they were combined with the noodles.
3. You can serve this immediately but it keeps well in the fridge if you make it ahead. It’s still good the next day for lunch, maybe with a bit of cold chicken or shrimp added
4. The dressing will keep for up to 2 weeks.

Cold Rice Noodle Salad with Peanut Dressing

Do you think the folks over at Fiesta Friday will like this one? I am joining the party with my contribution, it’s Fiesta Friday #498 hosted by Angie and co-hosted by  Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook.