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

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

Raw Tacos with Cashew Cheese

Taco "Meat" Ingredients

1-1/2 cups raw walnuts, finely ground in the food processor
1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1-1/2 tsp. chili powder
3/4 tsp. ground coriander
2 Tbsp. Nama Shoyu (raw soy sauce)

Combine the walnuts, cumin, chili powder and corinader and mix well. Drizzle Nama Shoyu over all and mix well again. It's just that easy :)

Creamy Cashew Cheese Ingredients:

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup Nama Shoyu
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped
2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled
1-1/4 cups raw cashews, macadamia nuts, pine nuts or a combination

Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender until it's creamy and smooth. Yum!



I had some onion bread made so I spread the cheese on then topped it with the walnut mixture, salsa, lettuce and cilantro. It was SO yummy!! You could easily just put the mixture onto a collard leaf, lettuce leaf or your favorite Raw base. Enjoy!


This recipe is originally from Rawvolution by Matt Amsden. It is a fabulous book full of doable, gourmet and living cuisine. It's a must-have for sure!





Click HERE for a printable version.

Nicole

Avocado Lettuce Wraps

This is my fave lunch/dinner as of late and it's so easy!

Ingredients:

1/2 avocado
1/2 cup shredded beet or red cabbage or both
1/2 cup shredded carrots
alfalfa sprouts
1 tomato chopped or sliced

Crisp romaine lettuce

Wrap up first 5 ingredients in romaine lettuce and enjoy! You can also drizzle a little of you favorite Raw dressing inside or just a little olive/flax/hemp oil. These are so easy to whip up in a hurry. A lot of times I'll just grab whatever veggies I have in my fridge and throw them in lettuce and eat up!

Click HERE for a printable version.