Skinny Noodle Dishes

Thai Beef Noodle Salad

This is our top noodle salad pick because it’s so light and refreshing. We love the zesty limes and the zing of the chilli – so tasty!

You will need:

• 500g beef rump steak
• 1 lime, juced
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 100g vermicelli rice noodles
• 250g punnet cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 cucumber, halved and sliced
• ½ cup mint leaves
• ½ cup coriander leaves
• Optional: extra lime wedges to serve

For the dressing:

• 1 lime, zest grated and juiced
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1-2 finely chopped birdseye chillies
• 1 clove garlic, crushed

What to do:

1. Marinate steak in lime juice, sauce and sugar for at least two hours.
2. Cook steak on a high heat for 2-3 minutes each side. Rest, covered with foil, for 5 minutes. Then slice the meat thinly.
3. Cover the noodles with boiling water and soak for 5 minutes until tender. Then drain them and set aside.
4. Simply whisk all the dressing ingredients together to make your dressing.
5. Combine noodles, beef, tomato, cucumber and herbs with dressing in a salad bowl. Toss together and top with limes and your salad is ready!

*recipe courtesy of Woman’s Day

Chicken, Sweet Corn & Noodle Soup

We love this wholesome, hearty soup. it’s great for winter when it’s tempting to comfort eat and load up on fatty foods. This is a healthy alternative that’s just as satisfying!

You will need:

• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 2 large leeks, trimmed and finely sliced
• 2 corn on the cobs, corn kernels cut off
• 200g vermicelli noodles
• 100g vermicelli rice noodles
• small bunch parsley, finely chopped

For the stock:

• 2 onions, quartered
• 1 leek, cut into chunks
• 2 carrots, thickly sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 black peppercorns
• parsley stalks
• 4 celery sticks, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp vegetable bouillon or 1 vegetable stock cube
• 1.3kg chicken

What to do:

1. Put all the stock ingredients and the chicken in a very large saucepan, then cover everything with about 3 litres cold water. Bring to the boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for 1 hr-1½ hrs, until the chicken is cooked through. Skim off any froth every 20 minutes or so. Remove the chicken to a plate to cool. Strain the stock through a sieve, skimming off as much fat as you can.
2. Rinse out the pan and put the stock back in, then simmer on a high heat until reduced a little – you need about 2 litres in total. Add the carrots and leeks, then simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, shred the meat from the chicken, discarding the skin and bones. Add to the pan with the sweetcorn. Add the vermicelli noodles, unless you want to freeze the soup, and simmer for about 7 mins more, until the corn and pasta is cooked. Ladle into bowls, sprinkled with the parsley.

*recipe courtesy of BBC Good Food

Pork & Sugar Snap Noodle Stir-Fry

This is one of the quickest and most nutritious meals to cook. Being healthy can be super easy with stir-fries!

You will need:

• 125g thick dried rice stick noodles
• 1 tbsp soybean oil
• 350g pork fillet, thinly sliced
• 4 spring onions, sliced
• 1 red capsicum, thinly sliced
• 200g sugar snap peas, trimmed
• 300g asparagus, cut into 4cm pieces
• 1 bunch choy sum, roughly chopped
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp sugar

What to do:

1. Put the noodles in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Stand for 10 minutes or until the noodles are soft. Drain them and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a wok until very hot and cook the pork fillet slice over a high heat until just browned and cooked through. Remove them from the wok and set aside.
3. Add the spring onions and capsicums to the wok with 2 tablespoons of water and cook until the capsicum is soft.
4. Add the remaining vegetables to the wok and stir fry until bright green and tender.
5. Add the pork and noodles to the wok along with the vegetables. Stir in the sauces and sugar and cook until the sauce thickens slightly. It’s that simple!

*recipe courtesy of Healthy Kids NSW