Raw Pad Thai w/ Almond Chile Sauce

You will need a few special ingredients for this dish but if you are a Thai food lover, they will be so worth finding! I am a Thai food fan so I wasn't sure if I would like this version. I not only liked it, I loved it! I know they are not Raw, but I was trying to find some rice paper wraps to roll this mixture in. It would have been a fantastic, on-the-go treat, especially with the almond dipping sauce!! I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.


Pad Thai Sauce

2 Tbs. tamarind juice*
1-1/2 Tbs. maple syrup
2 Tbs. nama shoyu or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1-1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1-1/4 tsp. minced serrano chile
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Pad Thai 

1-1/2 cups julienned zucchini
1 cup thinly shredded red cabbage (I just put it through the julienne attachment)
1-1/2 cups julienned carrots
1/2 cup julienned sweet or red onion
1 cup julienned Granny Smith apple, unpeeled
1/2 cup julienned red bell pepper
3 cups julienned young Thai coconut meat
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1/4 cup raw cashews, coarsely chopped
3 tsp. white sesame oil ( I used toasted because I couldn't find white)

Almond Chile Sauce

1/2 cup raw almond butter
1 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs. maple syrup
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbs. nama shoyu or Bragg's
1 Thai finger chile (I couldn't find one so I didn't use)
1/4 cup water, to thin if necessary


Directions

1. Puree tamarind juice, maple syrup, nama shoyu, garlic, minced chile, olive oil and salt in blender until smooth.

2. Prepare vegetables and coconut and place in a large bowl. Add Pad Thai Sauce and toss together to evenly distribute. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Toss Cashews together in a small bowl with 1 tsp. of sesame oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. To prepare Almond Chile Sauce: Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Add water to thin, if necessary.

5. To serve, arrange some of the Pad Thai in the center of each plate. Spoon some of the Almond Chile Sauce over top then drizzle with some nama shoyu and sesame oil. Sprinkle with chopped cashews.

6. Enjoy! Oh, and try not to eat it all yourself : )

*Note: To make Tamarind juice, soak the pulp, including seeds,in warm water in the ratio of 1 part pulp to 3-1/2 parts water- or 1 Tbs. pulp to 3-1/2 Tbs. warm water. After 15 minutes, squeeze Tamarind pulp to extract liquid. Discard pulp and seeds, and use juice as needed. I found the Tamarind pulp at an ethnic food market. I know they have it at Asian markets as well. It looks like date paste but with seeds. It is definitely worth finding for this dish!

Adapted from Vegetarian Times Magazine.


Nicole

My Favorite New Un-Cookbook: The Everything Raw Food Recipe Book

I got a 40% off Border's coupon in my e-mail so I buzzed down there to pick up this little jewel of a book. On the outside it is an unassuming book with no pictures inside. Usually I am a huge fan of pictures but I had skimmed through this book at B&N before. I was so excited at it's easy, delicious, different recipes. I am all for easy and few ingredients so I picked it up on my birthday.

The Everything Raw Food Recipe Book is filled with 300 versatile, easy recipes that are sure to please even the beginner Raw food uncook. My first recipe that I tried was the Pesto Kale Chips. I jotted down the recipe the first time I skimmed through the book and I have been making them ever since. They taste just like sour cream and onion potato chips to me, yum!

Here are some examples:

Mayan Chocolate Spice Shake
Peach Strawberry Smoothie
Cherry Pomegranate Smoothie
Almond Milk
Blueberry Cream Salad
Strawberry-Pear Roll-Ups
Blueberry Muffins
Sweet Almond Oat Cereal
Pear Crepes
Raw Caesar Salad
Marinated Kale and Avocado Salad
Spring Greens and Berries
Granola Bars
Italian Crackers
Tortillas
BBQ Chips
Spicy Marinated Nuts
Carrot Ginger Soup
Simple Salsa
Baba Ganoush
Cashew Almond Pate
Heirloom Tomatoes w/ Spicy Pate
Vanilla Almond Butter
Almond Milk Kefir
Almond Yogurt
Almond Cheese w/ Garlic and Dill
Pine Nut Cheese
Cashew Sour Cream
Chipotle Sprout Wrap
Sprout Burgers
Kimchi
Pesto Tomato Stack
Oriental Spring Rolls
Tacos w/ Guacamole
Raw Foods Pizza w/ Sprouted-Grain Crust
Maca Protein Burger
Raw Pasta w/ Cream Sauce
Pad Thai w/ Almond Sauce
Taco Salad
Mushroom and Walnut Tartlets
Cilantro Pesto
Cake Frosting
Fresh BBQ Sauce
Fudge Truffles
Walnut Pecan Brownies
Raw Chocolate Bars
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Mango Ice Cream
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Pecan Torte
Carrot Cake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
Mint Chocolate Cheesecake

Okay, so maybe I gave you a bit more than some : ) I hope it entices you to at least check it out!!

Nicole

Do You See What I See?

Yep, it's tomato time!! So what's your favorite Raw tomato recipe? I love them in salads but I feel they need to be used with more flair. I would love to hear your ideas!! I'll be trying out new recipes so when I find a yummy one I'll pass it on. My favorite right now is olive oil, vinegar, a little agave, salt and basil. Yum! I can't wait to hear from you!!

Nicole

Raw Vanilla Chip Ice Cream

I concocted my own recipe yesterday for some delicious vanilla ice cream. I threw together common Raw ice cream ingredients and it turned out fabulous! Try it, you'll like it : )

Ingredients:

1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 8 hrs. and drained
1 cup Thai young coconut meat
1-1/2 cups almond milk or 4 oz. coconut water and 8 oz. almond milk
1/2 cup agave
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. sea salt
2-3 Tbsp. cacao nibs ( you can leave these out if you want just plain vanilla)

Blend all except cacao nibs in VitaMix or blender until smooth. Add cacao nibs and pulse to blend. Add mixture to ice cream maker and process until firm. (if it makes it that long;)

Nicole

Blueberry Cardamom Ice Cream

I adapted this recipe from one I saw on Heather Pace's blog. She is so creative and I have loved every recipe of hers I tried. I lightened it up a bit and reduced the cardamom and it turned out perfect! It is simple and delicious, try it!

Ingredients:

1 cup cashews, soaked for 8 hrs. and drained
2 cups almond milk
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup agave
1/4 cup melted coconut butter
2 tsp. cardamom
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour into ice cream maker and process according to manufacturers directions until desired consistency is reached. This recipe works best if the mixture is cold before adding it to the ice cream machine. This will be a regular around here this summer : )

Enjoy!

Nicole

Raw Recipe: Broccoli and Mushrooms

I made this delicious recipe from Lisa's Raw on $10 a Day blog. I tweaked it a little and it is Oh So Good!

In a large pyrex dish place:

6 oz. mushrooms, sliced
13 oz. broccoli
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds

In a small bowl combine:

3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. agave
3 Tbsp. Bragg's or Nama Shoyu
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Pour sauce over broccoli and mushrooms and stir well. I place it in the dehydrator at 105 degrees for about an hour or so to warm it up. If you make this during the summer you could just let it marinate on the counter for a couple of hours and it will soften up a bit as well.

This tastes just like beef and broccoli to me. Yum!

Nicole

Sorry for the Lack of Posting : (

I am always excited to share all of my new and exciting recipes but I am boxed in right now with my menu. My doctor has me on a 1300 calorie diet which has really limited my creativity in the kitchen. Here is my menu as of late:

7:30           Green Smoothie
9:30           Pure Bar
12:00         Green Smoothie
2:00           Carrots and Raw Hummus
4:00           Chocolate Raw Protein Smoothie
6:00           Salad w/ lots of veggies and my Tahini Dressing

Yep, pretty boring. The doctor wanted me to get more protein in because of all the weight lifting I am doing. I am to drink 3 protein drinks a day. To do this, I added the Raw protein to make a chocolate shake and I add hemp protein to my green smoothies. I am keeping track of my protein intake and I am getting around 70-80 grams a day. This is a far cry from the 130 I used to eat when I was non-vegan and I was averaging about 25 grams on my Raw diet before I added the extra smoothies.

When I go back to see the doctor next Tuesday I'll be able to tell if all of this extra protein was worth it. She will be taking my body fat and cell hydration levels again. She will also check if my basal metabolic rate is up because of the extra protein. I hope it's been worth it. I also hope she lets me add more calories in so I can have some variety.

The good news is I don't have to put a lot of thought into my meals at this point. The bad news is my creativity in the kitchen is yearning to get out again and it can't : ( My beloved kale chips, oh how I miss you, sniff, sniff.......

Nicole