Say this recipe title 10 times fast and…you WIN!
Happiness and energy in a bowl. What more could you want on a Monday?
If I could summarize in a single recipe what a healthy vegan diet means to me, this bowl might just be it. It’s fresh, crisp, vibrant and heavy on the veggies with plant-based proteins throughout and a creamy and indulgent almond butter dressing. In other words – the perfect balance of this-tastes-freakin-amazing and this-makes-me-feel-freakin-amazing. I was bouncing off the walls with energy after I ate this….actually I still am. I swear it has nothing to do with overnight coffee concentrate.
Ok, maybe a little.
I know we’re only 1 week into summer, but this might just be my favourite salad of summer 2013. We’ll have to see if I can top this bad boy.
This salad is inspired by a raw Pad Thai dish I enjoyed at a restaurant called Marbles in Waterloo with my buddy Ange a couple years ago. I ended up recreating the recipe shortly after our visit, but I used glass noodles and I just wasn’t a fan. I don’t usually have texture issues with food, but those noodles were way out of my comfort zone. It’s strange because I’ve enjoyed them before in a couple restaurant dishes, but for some reason when I try them at home it’s creepville. Anyway, I decided to dig out this recipe again, this time using raw zucchini noodles. A very good decision, indeed. No creep factor. All goodness!
I decided to purchase a Veggie Spiralizer several months ago. This hand-powered device turns zucchini into a huge pile of cascading noodles in less than 1 minute flat. The device itself is quite small and compact, not taking up much room to store (which was my main concern) and it’s extremely light weight. The downside to this spiralizer is that it’s plastic and to be quite frank, it feels pretty cheap. However, I didn’t know how much I would use it so I went for one of the cheaper spiralizers on the market which only set me back about $25-30. It comes with a few different blades so you can make ribbons and what not, but I haven’t ventured that far yet. I like that there is very little waste leftover and the noodles aren’t as watery compared to using the hand peeler. Either way, you can use a julienne peeler (or a Y peeler to make ribbons) or a spiralizer for this recipe today. If you really wanted to, you could chop everything by hand the old fashioned way!
The almond butter sauce I made is very light – using only 1/2 tablespoon of oil – but it’s still creamy and indulgent at the same time. It makes just under 2/3 cup and I found it was the perfect amount for 2 large salads. We sure didn’t have any dressing leftover.
Rad Rainbow Raw Pad Thai
Yield
2 large servings plus scant 2/3 cup dressing
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini, julienned or spiraled
- 2 large carrots, julienned
- 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 cup thinly sliced red cabbage
- 3/4 cup frozen edamame, thawed (or try tofu)
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
For the dressing
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 cup raw almond butter (or try peanut butter)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium tamari
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2.5 teaspoons pure maple syrup (or other sweetener)
- 1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
Directions
- Prep vegetables. Add the zucchini, carrots, pepper, and cabbage into one or two large bowls. Toss with hands to combine.
- Prepare the dressing by processing all dressing ingredients in a mini processor (or simply whisk by hand). The dressing may seem a bit thin at first, but it thickens as it sits.
- Top bowls with edamame (or tofu), green onion, hemp seeds, and sesame seeds. Pour on dressing and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)~~~~~~
Last but certainly not least, Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians! This post was supposed to be a red & white strawberries ‘n cream pie, but of course when you plan on a themed recipe working it rarely does. I’m sporting my red & white all day regardless. I hope you have a great holiday! Oh and happy (almost) 4th of July to those of you in the US.
Angela — Just made this with my new veggie spiralizer(!) and it is absolutely DELISH. I made the peanut butter version of the recipe. Maybe could use a little crushed red pepper in the dressing next time, and a little fresh cilantro for garnish, plus a little more crushed peanut and lime for garnish to make it more pad-thai-y for the non-vegans in the house. Absolutely delicious and if I hadn’t tried the spiralized noodles I wouldn’t have believed how yummy and not squashy they are. I have gotten completely off wheat with the help of Ohsheglows.com and your creative, healthy beautiful recipes. Can’t thank you enough!
Just made this for the first time, and WOW! The taste is total awesomeness! It needs to go in your next cookbook.
I haven’t found a spiralizer near as cheap as the one you bought.
I live in Ontario. Where did you buy it?
Also, can you put up other recipes using the spiralizer
So we can decide if worth the cost.
Love your website, bought and love your book.
Thank you!
Angela, I’m sitting here right now eating the Rad Rainbow Raw Pad Thai that I just made…and it’s DELICIOUS!!! The dressing is awesome…I don’t think I’ll ever go back to oil and vinegar dressing again! Thank you for this recipe!
I made this & all my non vegan coworkers were so excited about the color & loved the dressing. This is a beautiful rainbow salad! I am making a second batch right now. My husband & I love it! I made the dressing with almond butter. Delis! I bought a veggie cutter just for this dish. I found my Vegetti Spiral Cutter at Bed Bath & Beyond. ($14.99) Only one size blade but that is all I need for the spiral look I want.
This is AMAZING! You are making a vegan convert out of me. This dish was wonderful and I really felt energized and – really just great – after this dinner. Had my (pregnant vegetarian) sister over tonight last minute and had been planning to make this dish this week so had everything already. Sent her home very happy, with leftovers for a snack later. I was showing her all of the other new recipes I’m excited about (Pasta Primavera, Caulipower Fettuccine, Moraccan Yam Veggie Burgers…) and she wants to start having an Angela Liddon receipe party once a week! Thank you for these lovely recipes! I got a spiralizer about a month ago and have been using it at least 3-4 times a week. Thank you for the inspiralization! :)
I made this salad to take with me on the road. It was so yummy I am making it again less then a week later to take with me to the beach. The veggies stand up to the dressing well without wilting, it is super nutritious, and the flavors play so well together. Just perfect!
wow this looks amazing and i’m def trying this tonight! i just wanted to say about the nutritional info you posted, what serving size is that? I’m counting macros so I need to know how much a serving of this is. thanks so much!
This is amazing and you are my hero.
So…. I was turned off of this spiralizer because it was plastic…. I opted for a metal one and I am in the process of returning it… wouldn’t do anything right. So I decided to get the same one you did! Tonight I tested it out and am in love with it. I ended up spiralizing everythign I could get my fingers on…. fresh beets, zucchini, cucumber, and yellow crook neck squash from my mom’s garden, along with an apple and tossed on about three tbsp of hemp seeds and a good dashing of sesame asian dressing…. was a hit! :)
Love this! 5 stars (where are the ratings stars?)
I have made this twice now, doubling it each time. It is fabulous!!! The only thing I change is using red onion in place of the green. I also used peanut butter instead of the almond butter. We have discovered that if saving leftovers, make sure to keep dressing separate- only dressing the salad you are eating right then. Thank you so much for all you share. I have loved the things I have tried from your blog. Good luck with the baby!
Oh my gosh! I can’t stop eating this!!! It’s the perfect combination of flavors, textures, and colors. It’s delicious!! It’s awesome to be addicted to something so incredibly good-for-you!
AWESOME recipe. I added Saracha to the almond sauce :)
There is nothing about this that is Pad Thai (what is Pad Thai without tamarind?!), but it looks good nonetheless.
i made this salad today. It tastes as wonderful as it looks! Thank you for the recipe!
Looking for a nut free dressing- any suggestions on what would work with this salad? Would sunflower seed butter work? Thanks! !
I like the name of this one. ;) And I really like the colours and variety of veggies!
Angela-
Everything is delicious, nourishing, and above all, polished. Your recipes are works of art. But this one makes my heart sing.
I just want you to know that I (and many others) love you SO much. You already know. But! Your 10 Spice Soup, Life-Affirming Nacho Dip, B’nut Squash Mac n Cheese, and so many others are staples in my home. To the point where I don’t even need to look at the recipe anymore. :)
Thank you for bringing so much joy to my home, and to many others.
– Geneveive
Thank you for this FANTASTIC recipe. So simple to make, SO tasty and you’re right about it making you feel super sparkly when and after you eat it. Thanks!!xxxxxx