I have to apologize for anyone who notices, but this is a re-post. My goal to make new dishes this week completely failed. It’s been one of those eat-what-comes-easy kind of weeks. What with anticipating my last day of doing daycare, trying to sell our house and packing boxes, I just couldn’t get organized with my menu planning and grocery shopping. My intention was to find a couple of recipes I wanted to try, and build my meal plan around them, but basically, I just forgot. Except I did make these Healthy Granola Bars from Random Acts of Parenting. They were a bit too crunchy for my tastes, but my kids loved them. I would make them again but add more butter to soften them up (I used the lesser measurement of what is recommended) and less cinnamon. By Thursday evening I thought “Oh, no, I have nothing to link for tomorrow.” And then I looked at what I was making for dinner and thought “This is delicious. People will like this. Darn it, I already posted this. Oh well, that was before I did recipe carnivals. Hm. Let’s be lazy today and just post it again.” So here it is. Just as yummy as it was the first time I posted it. A sunny weather favorite.
If you like to interact with your food this recipe is for you. To really get the dressing into the noodles you pretty much have to use your hands. And rice noodles are such fun to play with! Just make sure you wash your hands really well or put on some clean gloves and no one has to know. If you have older kids, get them involved. As long as they are old enough to know not to wipe their hands on their clothes or the upholstery, they’ll love it. (Which means my kids at 3 and 5 do not help with this part).
The mint and cilantro are really what make this dish divine. If you don’t have any mint, wait until you do.
This light salad will make for a satisfying meal on a warm day. Enjoy!
P.S. There is fish sauce in this recipe. Which I just realized is breaking my own rules! Gah! Although you can substitute for salt. People say I’m missing out by not using the fish sauce. I say “Oh, well.” Those who like fish sauce will no doubt appreciate I left it in the recipe as an option. You’re welcome! (Gosh, I’m nice.)
This recipe comes from Didi Emmons Vegetarian Planet.
Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad
4 – 6 garlic cloves
1 cup chopped and loosely packed cilantro
1/2 jalepeno or other fresh hot pepper (optional)
2-3 Tbsp natural sugar
1/4 cup lime juice (from about two limes)
3 Tbsp Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce , or 1 tsp salt
12 oz rice vermicelli
2 carrots, cut into julienne strips or grated
1 cucumber; peeled if it looks waxed, then halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced into thin half rounds
1/4 cup coarsely chopped mint
4 leaves from a nappa cabbage, sliced thin (optional)
1/4 cup chopped dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts
4 mint sprigs
Directions:
To make the sauce by hand, mince the garlic with the cilantro and the hot pepper. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add the lime juice, fish sauce or salt, and sugar, and stir well. To make the sauce in a food processor or blender, briefly blend the garlic with the cilantro, hot pepper, and sugar, until the vegetables are coarsely chopped. Then blend the lime juice and fish sauce or salt. Let the sauce sit for 5 minutes.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rice noodles, and boil them for two minutes (but no more). Drain the noodles, and rinse them well with cold water until they have cooled. Let them drain again for a few minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the sauce, noodles, carrots, cucumber, mint, and if you’re using it, nappa cabbage. Toss well and serve the salad garnished with the peanuts and mint springs.
Serves 4.
Linked up at Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum, Friday Foods at Momtrends, Food on Friday at Ann Kroeker, Wholesome Whole Foods at Health Food Lover, Food Revolution Friday at Notes From The Cookie Jar, My Meatless Mondays at My Sweet and Savory, Two For Tuesdays at A Moderate Life, Tuesday Twister at GNOWFGLINS, Real Food Wednesdays at Kelly The Kitchen Kop.
Welcome to Vegetarian Foodie Fridays! Where we’re not just Meatless on Mondays, but all week through! Hi! My name is Melodie and I’m a long time vegetarian who’s into real food, holistic nutrition, and healthy living but suffers from a sweet tooth! (I love homemade baked goods and ice cream). To learn more about why I became a vegetarian or why I choose to raise my children vegetarian please click on my links.
Carnival Guidelines
- You do not have to be a vegetarian/vegan or have a vegetarian/vegan blog to participate.
- Your dish must be completely meat-free (no meat based broths, etc). Eggs and dairy are fine. Desserts and other baked goods are welcome as are vegetarian friendly food-related and health posts.
- Please link back to the carnival in your post.
- Please use your best carnival manners.
- Please try to visit others’ posts.
- Have fun!
Related posts:
Posted by Melodie Dinner, Lunch, Vegetarian Foodie Fridays, Vegetarian Recipes Subscribe to RSS feed
That looks so good… perfect early dinner for here in Arizona where its 113 in the shade! Beautiful photo too… thanks!
~Really Rainey~
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This salad looks delicious! I am happy to find your blog; although we are not vegetarians, we try to eat meatless meals several times a week.
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Hey Jelly Melly! Here’s to Friday and more wonderful VEGGIE delights! Thanks for sharing your wonderful space and the real food love with us this day! My recipe is another Bittman one (I love him dontcha know?) that I “traditionalized” in honor of the first day of summer vacation! Everyday Sourdough Pancakes! I also LOVE the noodle dish you cooked! have you tried japanese kelp noodles? They are awesome and like NO calories and they are clear and great in soups and stuff! Big hugs! Alex
alex@a moderate life´s last [type] ..Tackling Bittman! How to cook everything…sourdough pancakes
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[...] article has been a part of Vegetarian Foodie Friday, Wholesome Whole Foods, summer lovin Bittman linkup at the I Heart Cooking [...]
Oh my, that looks really good!
I try and cook at least one new thing every week, but you’re right, it sometimes just doesn’t work out. I for one don’t mind a repost as I never saw the older post!
Thanks for hosting!
Satakieli´s last [type] ..Spicy Sweet Potato Fries
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Oh, no no no, don’t every point the finger at yourself and cry laziness (is it ever, really?). Instead, call it an eye toward efficiency, or being wise with time management. Anyhow, a good recipe is timeless.
Butterpoweredbike´s last [type] ..No-Bake Berry Cheesecake Cup
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Your recipe looks great! Thanks for Vegetarian Foodie Fridays. I love coming here to submit recipes and find other ones to try!
Julie @ Gettin’ Healthy….Still Cheap…´s last [type] ..Blog Hop!
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Your recipe looks so delicious! It’s hard to be totally vegetarian with things like fish sauce, some cheeses and ingredients you would never imagine to have animal fats in them but do. When I was in my late teens I used to be totally vegetarian and it was really hard. I’m not completely vegetarian anymore, but I love vegetarian recipes!
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[...] Pasta YaYa 2. Food Junkie from Texas- Smoky Kale with Onions 3. Melodie (Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad) W/VEGETARIAN LINKY 4. Bumbles & Light: Spicy Sweet Potato Fries 5. Grilled Sausages with Baby Turnips and Turnip [...]
[...] This post is linked to Fight Back Friday and Vegetarian Foodie Friday. [...]
I thought I linked and once it showed up but now it is gone?? Anyhow, I use fish sauce when things call for a little bit of soy sauce so I bet you could go the other way and use soy or tamari sauce for the fish sauce. I would just use less.
Christy´s last [type] ..W is for Whipped Cream, Coconut Whipped Cream that is.
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Thanks for linking this to My Meatless Mondays. You would appreciate that the more I encourage this and the more great recipes that come my way, the less I care if I eat meat.
There are so many amazing vegetarian and dairy dishes and they are really good. We are eating very well although we do have chicken on Fridays and an occasional burger but that is a big life change from meat almost every night.
Thanks for being here as an encourager, even though that is not what you are thinking.
chaya´s last [type] ..My Meatless Mondays – June 28- 2010
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Hey Mel! The blog hop thing means that the linky is shared across a number of blogs, not just one, like your carnival. So right now we have four great real food blogs as hosts so you can HOP to another blog that is new to YOU to check it out!
HOpe that explains it and thanks for sharing the real food love on this two for tuesday recipe blog hop! p.s. Laziness is really only reserving judgement and action for a later date ! 
alex@a moderate life´s last [type] ..Presence and Weight Loss Guest Post
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I have those days…often!! This sounds sooooo flavorful-PLUS, I just happen to have a plethora of mint in the garden! Delicious, thanks for sharing it with Two for Tuesdays this week =)
girlichef´s last [type] ..Im going on a PICNIC- and Im bringing
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Melodie, this recipe sounds super yummy! My husband LOVES rice noodles like this – we had a similar creation last night, but yours sounds so much more flavorful! Thanks so much for adding this to our Two for Tuesdays blog hop
Bethany´s last [type] ..Two for Tuesdays June 29
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Wow! A foodie link party that *I* fit into!
Yay!
I don’t have any recent recipes, but have a few in the works; in the meantime, does it matter if the next time you do this, I post one of my older recipes, that have never been in a link party before??
muralimanohar´s last [type] ..Happy 4th
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@muralimanohar – Sure you can use an old recipe if you want. i think most people post something from within the last week but if it’s older that, I don’t mind at all.
Melodie´s last [type] ..Vegetarian Foodie Fridays- Rice Fried Vegetables
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