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
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.
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
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.
This was absolutely amazing. My family and I had it a few days ago, including my 18 month son who couldn’t get enough of it. We did make a few minor changes, mostly because of what we had on hand. I just used a mandolin for most of the vegetables and it was quick and easy dinner that we will be making again. Thanks for the recipes and the peanut sauce recipe. Really wonderful stuff.
I second all the comments above regarding the site of this dish.-it is wildly colorful and an eyeful for the tastebuds! It is so creative and the sauce is extraordinary. Besides being an above and beyond meal, I loved that I went through very few dishes/utinsels in the prep (I have an unfounded hate for washing a pans). Thanks for sharing!!! Oh, and another thing: this keeps surprisingly well :).
This recipe was Delicious! With a capital D! Love the website to.
I’m wanting to make this for a potluck, but have a friend who can not eat edamame or tofu. Any ideas on a substatue? Also belated Canada Day.
I definitely want to make this. Do you remember the Kitchen store name in Toronto where you went once?
Its so beautiful, would love to eat this
I just made this and oh my gosh its amazing!!
Thank you sooooo much, I made this for dinner last night (although, technically it was my hubby as an operation for carpel tunnel has my right hand out if use, but he was under my direction:)) it was absolutely devine…love the dressing and as for the edamame beans, think I ate half the packet in the preparation, damn their good!!
Jane xx
Australia
PS…your chia bread has become a household staple…yum!
I tried this salad tonight. A-MAZING! Thank you so much for sharing it! My sister and sister-in-law are vegan and live about 3 hours away. When they come to town next month, I will be sure to make this and thank them for telling me about your blog :)
I made this colorful salad the other day and it was delicious! The dressing is perfect! Thank you!
I don’t have a spiralizer or peeler so I julienned all the vegetables with a knife. I made a double batch so it took forever lol. To be honest, the whole time I was thinking “This better be good”, but I knew it would be, because your recipes are always fantastic!! It was so fresh and visually appealing, just perfect (: I think I’ll invest in a spiralizer so I can make this more often, it was that good
Thank you for this recipe. I made it with peanut butter instead of almond butter and topped it with ground peanuts (use unroasted if you still want a “raw” salad). I added tofu in addition to the edamame for plenty of protein. A wonderfully satisfying meal!
Angela- just made this recipe for dinner and it was wonderful. Need to practice my julienning skills, and actually added in some raw corn (had just bought some from the farm stand) and it was great. All the recipes I make from you have from flawless so far, keep them coming and I’m so excited for your book!
So glad to hear that Emily!
Yum yum yum! To me there is nothing better than a cool, fresh, crisp, THAI, salad on a summer day! I actually can’t wait to try this one out- looks like it is going to be a keeper!
Holycow! Made this last night and it was DE-lish! Perfect for hot summer days when you dread turning on the stove!
Had to tell you- just had this tonight for dinner & it was amazing! I am so excited
As you have inspired me to try so many new things in the past few years!
My boyz are at camp so I took the opportunity to make something my hubby
& I could enjoy that the boyz probably wouldn”t eat. It was a hit for both of us
I did make it more of a chopped salad as I do not have a slicer & was in a hurry.
That is now on my list of kitchen utensils to purchase :)
Thanks for a yummy dinner
This was SOOOO delicious! I forgot to get purple cabbage at the supermarket, but I had fennel and radishes so I julienned those and WOW! So crisp, fresh and delicious. I could eat this all day during the Summer. I shared with a fellow vegan friend at work and she raved about it too.
I love my spiraliser – I’ve recently posted blogs on using it for sweet potato noodles in soup, zucchini/courgette noodles in place of noodles and spaghetti, and making curly fries!
Great recipe! Threw all the veg through the food processor grater and dinner was done in minutes!
Ran out & got myself a hand held so I could make his dish…delish!