I’m still working my way through all my travel photos, so my posts over the next few weeks will primarily focus on current happenings (what I’m cooking at home and restaurants that I’m discovering here in Toronto). But don’t worry, all the information and reviews of the things that I ate and experienced during my 3-month trip through New Zealand and South East Asia will be coming soon!
For today’s post, I’d like to share a recipe that my mom made for me when I last visited her in Ottawa. My mom got the recipe from Chatelaine magazine, but it comes from Julie Daniluk’s Meals That Heal Inflammation cookbook. I love how fresh and healthy this dish tastes – in fact, I’ve already made it 3 or 4 times this month. It’s a total “keeper” for me and I hope it will be for you as well.
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I haven’t found any raw almond butter yet, so I used this roasted almond and cashew blend instead. So in my case, this salad isn’t 100% raw. However, I did manage to find this huge bottle of raw organic agave nectar at Homesense for $12.99 though. Score!
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You’ll need a spiralizer or mandoline or julienne vegetable peeler
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Notes
- If you make the dressing first, and then toss the veggies on top, this becomes a one-pot meal.
- I’ve doubled the recipe, because I find that even doubled, it only makes 2-3 servings.
- The original recipe called for raw honey, but I’ve made it vegan by using raw agave or maple syrup.
- I didn’t find any fresh sprouts, but this was still delicious, so I’ve marked them as optional below.
- I also like serving this with crushed peanuts and chopped cilantro, so I’ve added them as options too.
- As the directions indicate, it’s definitely better after a few hours in the fridge, however, if you leave it at room temperature for about 15 minutes, it should also help to soften-up the veggies and combine the flavors.
- 2 medium zucchinis
- 2 large carrots
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
- 1 cup mung bean sprouts or radish sprouts (spicy) (optional)
- ½ cup crushed peanuts (optional)
- ½ cup chopped fresh coriander/cilantro (optional)
- ¼ cup tahini
- ¼ cup almond butter (or cashew butter, or a blend of both)
- 2 tbsp lime or lemon juice
- ¼ cup tamari (select a wheat free version for gluten-free diets)
- 2 tbsp agave (or maple syrup)
- ½ tsp garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ginger root, grated
- Use a spiralizer (or mandolin or vegetable peeler) to create noodles from the carrot and zucchini. Place them in a large mixing bowl and top with the other vegetables.
- Whisk sauce ingredients in a bowl. The sauce will be thick, but will thin out after it’s mixed with the vegetables.
- Pour the sauce over the vegetables and toss. Best after 1 day in the fridge.
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I feel kind of weird saying this, but I’ve never made a raw pad thai. I went to raw food school in California and we made all kinds of incredible, mind-blowing meals, but not Pad Thai, not even in my own curious home experiments. Totally adding this recipe to my excessive Pinterest collection! And I can’t wait to hear about some Toronto restaurants so I can drool over them a year before I move!
Hi Allysia! Yeah I’m kind of surprised that I’ve never made a raw pad thai before either. I’ve been on the veggie “noodles” kick for some time, and I love thai-style peanut-based sauces, so you’d think that I would have put two and two together at some point! Anyway, I love this recipe and just had to share it. You’re going to love Toronto. There are so many good vegan options here and I’ve only begun to scratch the surface!
Yum! I love pad thai, definitely going to try this raw no noodle version.
Awesome. Let me know what you think :)
This looks fantastic! Love raw recipes and this is a keeper for sure! Thanks for sharing…excellent blog by the way. I love Toronto – Such a beautiful, clean city. Enjoy it and keep sharing…Stormy ( wickedlydeliciousfoods.blogspot.com & atwistoflife.blogspot.com )
Thank you and thank you :)
So glad that you’re back and that you had a wonderful trip! I had been intermittently checking for new posts and was so happy to see an overview from your trek across the world, both because the photos were beautiful and that that meant more delicious recipes were forthcoming. This Pad Thai is on my to-do dinner list for next week. I’m very excited to give it a try! This has sort of been a Vegangela week (perhaps in celebration of our return?) as I made the enchiladas, tangled salad dressing (both fantastic) and am going to give the spicy quinoa and bean salad a try. I have been eating a vegan diet for a year, and have never enjoyed food so much in my life as I do now (I just celebrated one year of a vegan diet in NYC eating some of the most incredible food I have ever tasted). Exploring interesting ingredients and preparing new recipes has become a real interest and passion of mine since changing the way that I eat, and your blog has been an integral part of the fun! Thanks for sharing such tasty, healthy and easy recipes!
This just totally made my day – THANK YOU! I’m so glad to hear that my recipes are of use! My life has changed so much lately and it’s hard to keep up, but I promise to get new recipes up as soon as I can :)
I am about a year in to vegan eating and love Pad Thai, but this has to be the BEST Pad Thai I’ve had, EVER!!
Hey! Thanks for trying it – and for being the first to provide feedback on it! Glad you liked it. It’s pretty much my new favorite thing as well :)
I just put this together and it looks so good!! I can’t wait to eat it later. My sister and her husband recently went vegan and I am so inspired by their commitment to their health. My boyfriend and I have decided to also change our diets. I am also gluten free so that can make things a bit complicated. I was very happy to find this recipe and I am looking forward to finding more!
Hi Christine – Thanks for trying the recipe. Hope everyone liked it!
I’m so pleased we found your recipe. We had a giant patty pan from the garden and were about to make vegan zucchini bread when we ran across your creation. Made some mandolin noodles and whipped up the dressing in no time. Delicious! Thank you.
Thanks for taking the time to write. So glad you liked it :)
Hi, I came across your blog for the first time today and loved your approach to food. I have included this raw pad thai in my July 2012 roundup of meatless meals. Thanks for the fresh approach and the inspiration!
Thanks very much for the shout-outs and the kind words! :)
I’ve now made this twice. It was delicious! The only tweak I made was reducing the soy sauce a bit. The “noodles” stayed nice and crunchy and the fresh cilantro gave it a really fresh taste.
Awesome! It’s been on repeat here as well. Thanks for taking the time to comment :)
Everyone seems to be making the raw pad thai lately. I love Julie Danyluks book, I’ve made many recipes from there and there is few that I like
Correction! Few that I DON’T like
I love this recipe – thanks for the feedback on the book though…
This looks just fantastic. I’m going to be trying it as soon as I can get to the store for some nut butter! So happy to have found another Toronto vegan <3
Thanks for stopping by! I’ve just added you to my “Toronto Vegans” RSS subscription folder so we can keep in touch. I see that you’re doing Vegan MoFo too, that’s awesome. I love this time of year! :)
Hi Angela,
A quick note on chopsticks (the photo at the top of the page) in Japanese culture (maybe other Asian cultures too?) Chopsticks are only left in food if it is being offered to the dead-
I am sure I will get some slack for mentioning this- Nothing against your awesome recipes- just the photo
Thanks!
Oh my! Thanks so much for letting me know – I had no idea! I’ll go through my photos and try to replace it with something less offensive! Thanks again!
I have made this twice now and it’s amazing! The second time, I put slightly less tamari and it was perfect. I’ve been sending the recipe to all my friends. Thank you so much for sharing. :)
Yay! Isn’t it the best? Who needs noodles with veggies that satisfying and creamy?!
I loved this recipe. The flavors worked amazingly together, the veggie noodles were very fresh tasting. The sauce thinned out a little too much for me once everything was combined but a delicious dish overall.
I agree that there’s some extra sauce leftover once it’s had the time to settle. I’ve been adding a few extra veggies to the mix…
thanks so much for the recipe! i made this for a dinner party and it was a big hit!
That’s awesome! Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback :)
Recipe looks great! I’m in the market for a julienne peeler and would prefer not to buy online if possible (I’m in Toronto). The ones I’ve narrowed it down to are: Zyliss (can only find online so far), Titan, and the Kuhn Rikon. I wonder if you can tell me where your mom got the mandoline gloves from and which brand of julienne peeler you used?
Hi there! My Julienne peeler is from OXO. I think my mom picked it up for me at Homesense/Winners. The mandoline gloves were purchased at a kitchen supply store in Ottawa. You should be able to find some fairly easily in Toronto. Good luck!
This was my first attempt at a raw dish. It was a HUGE hit!!
Thanks so much!!
You’re welcome – glad you liked it!
Amazing recipe – nearly ate the whole lot…!
Awesome! Glad to hear it. Thanks for commenting :)
Bugger!! Wish I had thought of this when I was doing my raw vegan diet – what a great way to use those nut spreads!
You really must find yourself one of these spiralisers though – http://www.healthyfitgoddess.com/2013/02/new-vegetable-spiralizer.html
They are awesome!
Hi Daina – I think you’ll love this recipe. Yes, a spiralizer is on my wish list! :)
Thank u so much for this wonderful recipe , it will be my favorite one from now on. Made a huge bowl and ate everything by myself:)
I wish I could take the credit for it! I’m glad you like it – it’s one of my favorites too!