VIETNAMESE SPRING ROLL SALAD Follow for more recipes This Vietnamese Spring Roll Salad is everythi

VIETNAMESE SPRING ROLL SALAD

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This Vietnamese Spring Roll Salad is everything you love about spring rolls…chopped up into a fresh and zesty pasta salad.  Feel free to make yours with shrimp, chicken, pork or tofu…or keep it simple with just veggies!

INGREDIENTS:

SALAD

• 8 ounces thin rice noodles
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 8 ounces cooked shrimp, diced*
• 1 English cucumber, julienned or diced
• 1 cup shredded carrots**

• 2/3 cup loosely-packed chopped fresh bean sprouts
• 2/3 cup loosely-packed chopped fresh cilantro
• 2/3 cup loosely-packed chopped fresh mint
• 1/3 cup chopped peanuts
• half of a small green cabbage, cored and chopped**
• 1 batch Nuoc Cham Sauce (see below) or Thai Peanut Dressing 2/3 cup

NUOC CHAM SAUCE

• ¼ cup lime juice
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
• 1 fresh Thai chili, thinly sliced (or ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. To Make The Rice Noodles: Cook rice noodles according to package instructions.  Once they are cooked, rinse them with cold water under a strainer until completely chilled.  Then transfer to a large mixing bowl, drizzle with sesame oil, and toss until the noodles are evenly coated with the oil.
2. To Make The Sauce: Whisk all ingredients together until evenly combined.
3. To Bring Everything Together: Add the remaining ingredients (shrimp, cucumber, carrots, bean sprouts, cilantro, mint, peanuts, cabbage, and sauce) to the noodles, and toss until evenly combined.  Taste, and season with salt and pepper as needed.
4. Serve immediately (with extra lime wedges for squeezing!), or refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Notes

• *Feel free to substitute cooked chicken, pork, or tofu, if you prefer.  Or you can just nix adding an extra protein entirely.
• **To save a step, you can sub in 3 cups coleslaw mix for the cabbage and carrots.  Or if you’re not a big fan of cabbage, you can also sub in butter lettuce (or any mild green) in place of the cabbage.