Earth Balance Spreads - Made Just Right

Our first entrée recipe winner is Deva Mirel, from Alachua, Fla. Her vegan recipe for Spicy Peanut Tamarind Rice Noodle Salad is everything we were looking for in an entrée -- creatively appealing, full of delicious, healthy vegetables and packed with protein from both tofu and peanut butter. Coconut oil adds a nice, sweet twist to it but you could also use sesame, peanut or olive oil, too. Mmmmm!

Have you cooked with coconut oil or tamarind before? Do you love sweet and spicy sauces? Share your thoughts for a chance to win free Earth Balance!

Deva says:

"Perfect for cooling off on those hot days, this main course salad hits sweet, spicy and salty notes while keeping it fresh with an assortment of fresh and blanched vegetables. To add an extra dose of whole grains to your day, substitute brown rice for rice noodles."

Spicy Peanut Tamarind Rice Noodle Salad
Serves 8
Ingredients
1 package of rice noodles or 28 ounces brown rice
1 firm tofu, cubed
1 cup(s) of asparagus tips
1 cup(s) of broccoli florets
1 cup(s) of daikon, thinly sliced and cut into 1.5" strips
1 cup(s) of trimmed green beans cut into 1" lengths
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
2 kirby cucumbers, sliced into thin rounds
1 medium sized fennel bulb, thinly sliced
3 cup(s) of fresh baby spinach
1 cup(s) of Earth Balance® Peanut Butter
2 tbsp. of tamarind paste
1/2 cup(s) of rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup(s) of sucanat (whole cane sugar, available at Whole Foods
1/4 cup(s) of dark sesame oil
1/4 cup(s) of soy sauce
2 tbsp. of water
2 fresh green chilis
1/2 tsp. of course ground black pepper
2 fresh ginger
2 tbsp. of coconut oil
2 tbsp. of white sesame seeds

Directions
1. Marinate daikon with a splash of vinegar, separate from the vinegar listed above.
2. Marinate tofu with a splash of soy sauce, separate from the soy sauce listed above.
3. Cook rice noodles or brown rice according to package directions. Set in refrigerator to cool.
4. Bring a pot of water to a boil. When boiling, add asparagus, broccoli and green beans to blanch for 2 minutes. Drain and submerge vegetables in cold water. Drain and refrigerate.
5. Heat a cast iron skillet. When hot, add 2 tablespoons coconut oil. Add tofu and pan fry until browned. Remove tofu, splash with soy sauce and refrigerate. While skillet still hot, toss in sliced fennel. Saute a few minutes on high heat until browned but still crisp. Remove from pan and refrigerate.
6. Wilt the spinach by heating in a hot pan with a little water. Refigerate.
7. To make the dressing, combine vinegar, sesame oil, water, sucanat, tamarind paste, peanut butter, chili, ginger and black pepper in a glass jar and blend with stick blender.
8. To assemble salad, combine all cold ingredients except for spinach. Toss to incorporate dressing.
9. Lay a bed of wilted spinach on the plate. Scoop a serving of salad onto the bed of spinach.
10. Dry roast sesame seeds in a frying pan over medium high heat. Sprinkle over salad as garnish. Serve with lime wedge.

Thanks Deva and congrats!

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