Asian Rice Noodle Salad with Tofu
Today I made this delightfully light and refreshing Asian rice noodle salad with tofu. It took about 30 minutes or less to prepare and worth every minute.
The best thing about this salad is how it comes together in no time at all. Asian rice noodles generally cook more quickly than wheat noodles and the prep time is very minimal.
Hope you enjoy this Asian noodle salad as much as I did!
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- 5 oz. dried rice noodles
- ½ cup lime juice
- 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 3½ tbs dark brown sugar
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 tbsp)
- 1 thai chili or jalapeno, seeded and thinly sliced (I used two but I like spicy)
- 1½ cups thinly sliced purple cabbage or radicchio
- 1½ cups julienned cucumbers
- 1 cup chopped fresh basil
- 6 scallions sliced thin - white part only
- 1 8 ounce packaged tofu, cut into small cubes
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup additional low-sodium soy to marinate tofu
- ½ cup almond slivers
- Place tofu cubes in bowl - cover with ¼ cup soy sauce and let marinate
- Whisk together lime juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic and chile in bowl until sugar is dissolved
- Toss together cabbage, cucumbers, tofu, basil and green onion. Toss with some of the lime mixture until evenly coated.
- Remove tofu from marinade and toss with cornstarch. Over medium heat saute tofu until browned. Add to cabbage mixture and toss. Add more lime mixture if needed.
- Cook noodles according to directions
- Divide noodles among serving plates. Place cabbage tofu mixture on top. Serve sprinkled with nuts.
I have been a Nephrology Nurse for over 12 years, Nephrology refers to Nephrons, the microscopic functional unit of the kidneys. The Nephron is comprised of an interface between the blood vascular system- a tiny ball of capillaries, know as the glomerulus and the renal tubule which surrounds the blood vessel. Each kidney has about a million nephrons. Renal failure is present when only 10% of those nephrons are functional. The leading cause of renal failure in adults is High Blood Pressure and Type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes, is both preventable and curable. It is largely a disease of lifestyle. Poor eating habits and lack of exercise, that result in poor circulation to the kidneys.
It isn’t rocket science to cure Type 2. Make healthier meal choices, based on natural whole foods, and get moving and a groovin’. Walk-so easy. Play some music and dance and be happy! If too obese to walk and suffer from osteoarthirtis-swim. The effort will be well worth it and you will avoid the numerous complications of obesity: type 2 diabetes, leading to kidney failure, heart disease, vascular disease, blindness, amputations, obstructive sleep apnea and polycystic ovary disease. . Think oatmeal, fruits, veggies. Vegggies less sugary, salad everyday. NO white flour- metabolizes to sugar. no fructose corn syrup.
Good job Nancy-Keep up the good work- and thanks for talking about kidney decease.
Meant kidney disease!! But if one does not get weight and blood sugar under control, they will be deceased before their time. So sad to see so many young people today who suffer from obesity, and kidney failure and on HD. And it is never too late to make changes in diet and lifestyle. So as some one once told me as I struggled to lose 30 pounds, don’t give up.
This post is disappointing and offensive to me. Yes, you are correct that there IS a link between nutrition and disease. Of course there is. However, as a vegan and a physician, it is insulting to see such blanket statements that “doctors are working with two hands tied behind their back.” Anecdotal, yes, but I have TRIED to educate my patients on how to change their diet and improve their health. I have NEVER met a patient who was even the slightest bit interested. My husband (also a physician) has never met a patient who cared. Americans are (by and large) lazy (yes, their are exceptions), and unwilling to make the difficult changes that will lead to improved health and functionality. They want a magic pill, because it’s more comfortable. They don’t have to think about it. They don’t have to get up off the sofa and go for a walk or eat a nice, green salad. Patients may want to be healthy, but they don’t want to work for it. So please stop making doctors out to be the culprits in the poor state of America’s health. It’s a choice. You either make the choice, and WORK to take steps to better yourself, or you continue on the path of least resistance toward diabetes, MI, CVA, and debilitation. As mcuh as it pains me to see my patients crying because we are amputating her other foot due to chronic, uncontrolled diabetes, she was given the tools she needed to prevent this, and chose to ignore them. Doctors can only do so much. Patients need to take some responsibility for their own health here, too.
Diane – Thanks for sharing your story. I am sure there are many Doctors like you and your husband who have tried to educate their patients. It is interesting how we all may know the same truths but our lives consist of how we choose to distort those truths. I truly understand. I have loved ones who are hurting themselves with food and cigarettes, and no matter what I tell them they don’t want to listen. I really appreciate your side of the story and in no way did I want to disppoint or offend you. You have my deepest respect. Sending you lots of vegan love and compassion.
Thank you so much for your response. Being a health-conscious physician is extraordinarily frustrating most days. My patients refuse to “hear” my pleas for them to live a healthier, happier life, and the Internet is full of articles vilifying physicians as the guilty culprits in the diseases of their patients. It is painful to see my patients or my patients parents perpetuating these unhealthy habits. My medical school did give us an extensive course on nutrition, but it WAS lacking. The problem isn’t necessarily the doctors, though. That is far above our pay grade, and personal responsibility has to be a factor, as well. Doctors aren’t stupid. We aren’t self-serving (ok, some probably are). We are a group of individuals who have sacrificed between 11 and 16 (on average, from undergrad to completion of residency and or fellowship) potentially income-earning years of our lives to gain the knowledge and competency to help our patients while going into $200,000 worth of debt (or more if you went to my school). Lobbyists and drug companies who sit on the board of the FDA are telling Americans that they NEED these drugs. They invent medical problems, and then sell the drug that will fix it (restless leg syndrome, anyone?). Take charge of your health, and please treat your doctor as a partner in health, rather than seeing us as adversaries out to get you and pull the wool over the eyes of our patients! <3
I didn’t see how many carrots to use or how they should be prepped.
Hi Wanda – I apologize – There are no carrots in this recipe but you could certainly julienne a couple of small carrots and add them. I don’t know why I included carrot in the preperation but I fixed it. Thanks for the heads up and thanks for being part of our community!