Quick Cucumber Noodle Salad with Tahini-Lime Dressing

This quick cucumber noodle salad with tahini-lime dressing is a meal I tossed together on a whim around 7pm this past Wednesday after spending 10+ hours in the kitchen. I had no intentions of sharing it on the blog, but it ended up looking so pretty and colorful that I decided to snap a few photos with my proper camera in case it ended up tasting good enough to share (note/my apologies: I didn’t realize that I had crossed the chopsticks — a symbol of denial — until I was editing the photos the following day). And it absolutely did.

It’s quick | Requiring just 15 minutes total, give or take a few depending on the deftness of your chopping and spiralizing skills.

It’s crunchy | Chopped romaine is topped with a heaping pile of crisp cucumber noodles, julienned carrots, and sliced radishes. Plus, a few tablespoons of seeds are sprinkled on top for extra crunch.

It’s fun to eat | Big bites of cucumber noodles that have been mingling with a creamy tahini-lime dressing. Yes, again and again, bite after bite.

It’s vibrant and packed with vitamins and minerals | Just look at it…

If you go on volume alone, you’ll think this salad makes way more than two servings, but trust me on this one.

After I snapped these photos, I promptly dumped this beaut of a salad into a large mixing bowl to accommodate my dressing slathering and then plopped on the couch, large metal mixing bowl in one hand and fork in the other. Dan promptly shot me a look and inquired, “Whoa, you got enough salad there? $5 says you won’t finish it.” An empty bowl and $5 bill exchange later, I was perfectly satisfied and deciding what I wanted for dessert (because there’s always room for dessert).

Moral of the story: using cucumber noodles as the main ingredient in this salad means this is the one instance in which your stomach will be bigger than your eyes. Load up a big bowl, drizzle on that dressing, and get crunching.

Print Pin

4 from 1 vote

Quick Cucumber Noodle Salad with Creamy Tahini-Lime Dressing

Cooling cucumber noodles and hydrating veggies are tossed in a creamy tahini-lime dressing.

Course Salad

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

Cucumber Noodle Salad

• 1 small head romaine, chopped
• 2 large hothouse (English) cucumbers, spiralized
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and julienned
• 4 radishes, thinly sliced
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Creamy Tahini-Lime Dressing*

• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 1/2 to 1 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
• Juice of 1/2 to 1 lime
• 1 to 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 to 4 tablespoons filtered water, as needed to thin

Instructions

• Divide the romaine between two large bowls. Top with the cucumber noodles, carrots, radishes, scallions, cilantro, and seeds.
• For the dressing: whisk together the tahini, tamari (to taste), lime juice, maple syrup, sesame oil, garlic, scallion (if using), and cilantro in a small bowl. If needed, add in the water, one tablespoon at a time, to thin the dressing. Adjust seasoning, adding more tamari or lime juice if needed.

Notes

*The creamy tahini-ginger dressing from this salad can also be used: https://www.blissfulbasil.com/2014/06/25/colorful-jicama-noodle-salad-with-creamy-tahini-ginger-dressing-vegan/