raw summer pad thai

A funny thing happened the other morning. I was going about my morning routine, running a few errands, when I was stopped by a man on the street. He goes:

"Excuse me, would you happen to know where the nearest place is that I can buy a julienne peeler?"

To which I responded "Well, that's funny, because I am actually on my way to buy a julienne peeler."

(whaaaaaat .... soooo random) 

Me: "A few blocks away in the Chelsea Market there is a store called Bowery Kitchen. They sell everything, I am almost certain they will have a julienne peeler."

Guy on street: "Thanks! I am trying to eat healthier, so I thought it would be great for me to buy one so that I can eat more raw veggies."

Right on guy. Right on. 

 

The story does not stop there. So, I continue on my way, run a few quick errands, and head over to buy my julienne peeler .... and there's the guy. Scouring the peeler section. I went over to him and said "Looks like you found it!"

Guy: "Hey! Yeah! I did, but I don't know which one to buy."

Well, then, of course I went on a bit of a tangent about different peelers, what purpose they each serve, as well as different things you can make with raw vegetables. Raw veggie pasta, raw veggie salad, raw veggie noodle pad thai. 

In fact, that's what's been on my mind. Raw pad thai. That's was why I was buying a julienne peeler. 
 

Last summer I bought this crazy, clunky Japanese spiralizer that I would make noodles with. The problem was, I hated using that thing. It was not very user friendly and it was taking up a lot of precious cabinet space. 

There's been a lot of talk recently about a julienne peelers, so I thought maybe that would a better solution than my cumbersome spirilizer. WELL. I am telling you. This $5 piece of kitchen equipment will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Seriously people. Life changing. 

Being able to eat more raw veggies in the summertime, being able to eat my favorite pasta dishes subbing veggies for the bad carbs .... amazing. Yes. Run out and buy one right now. 

Hold on, I am sure that many of you probably already have a julienne peeler, and many of you have probably already told all of your family, friends, and the checkout person at the grocery store how amazing it is. So, those of you can realte to my level of enthusiasm. 

The first thing I made with my julienne peeler was this creamy pesto zucchini dish. Seriously delicious.

The second thing I made was this raw pad thai. I have been dying to make raw pad thai ever since we moved away from my favorite raw foods restaurant, and I am no longer able to order it on the regular. So now that I have my handy fancy julienne peeler I will be making my own. On the regular. 

So the story ends with me the and the guy each buying our own julienne peelers ... and we go off on our merry ways to live happy, raw veggie filled lives. And, I hope (if you don't already have one) you will go out and do the same. 

raw summer pad thai 

Serves
2 as an entree, 4 as an appetizer

Ingredients

for the peanut sauce:
1/4 cup of peanut or almond butter
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of tamari (or low sodium soy sauce)
1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil 
1 teaspoon of ginger, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons of lime juice (the juice of one lime)
3-4 tablespoons of water

several pieces of kale, center ribs removed and sliced thin lengthwise
1 small head of romaine, shredded
2 green zucchinis, peeled lengthwise with a julienne peeler 
2 yellow zucchinis, peeled lengthwise with a julienne peeler
a good handful of kelp noodles (optional) OR 1 cucumber, peeled lengthwise with a julienne peeler

3 green onions, diced
1/4 cup of peanuts (or any kind of nut you like)
a handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
several leaves of thai basil (regular basil is fine if you cannot find thai)
a pinch or two of chili powder
optional garnish: gomascio or toasted sesame seeds, hemp seeds

Method

Make the peanut sauce:

• Place all of the ingredients expect for the water into a food processor. Blend until it is smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Then, add in the water tablespoon by tablespoon until you have the consistency you like. I found that around 3-4 tablespoons makes for the perfect consistency. 

Assemble the dish:

• In a large bowl, toss together the kale, romaine, zucchini, and kelp noodles (if you're using). 
• Spoon in the peanut sauce little by little until the veggie noodles are dressed as much as you like. Toss to make sure all of the noodles are evenly coated. 
• Plate the veggie noodles, and then sprinkle the green onion, cilantro, basil, nuts, chili powder, toasted sesame seeds, and hemp seeds over the top.