Pad Thai Salad

I was really hungry so it was bit slapped together but one could really go to town to make this salad look sensational.

Last week I trained a housekeeper for a family that prefer to eat an organic raw vegan diet as far as is practical. It's way easier than you might imagine, it just requires a small shift in perception and suddenly a whole world of possibilities open up. I have been doing quite a lot of reading and exploring and it really has inspired me. 


I dug out a recipe in an old Fresh living magazine (Jan/Feb 2011) which I had been wanting to try for ages. I love pad thai noodles and I love non leaf based salads, so this was the perfect dish for me to experiment with for my new client and also get to enjoy the end product myself.  I followed the recipe closely and the end product was delicious. The dressing is fantastic and I love the crunchy nutty texture. Such a winner even if you're not a raw vegan! 


Raw pad thai
Serves 4 side salad or 2 main courses


1 cup of butternut, peeled into ribbons with a potato peeler (see the picture for details)
1 cup of cabbage (red or green), finely shredded
4 baby marrows, peeled into ribbons with a potato peeler
2 large carrots, peeled into ribbons with a potato peeler
1 tsp of salt
1/2 a cup of raw cashews (or giant peanuts and almonds like I did) 


Sauce
1/2 cup of coconut cream (or milk)
2 Tbsp of peanut butter (or nut butter of choice) 
1 clove of garlic crushed
1 tsp of fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 Tbsp of tamari or soy sauce
Juice of 1 lime or half a lemon


a handful of coriander leaves for serving


Toss the veggies with the salt and set aside while making the sauce. Whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce until smooth. 


Arrange the veggies on a platter and drizzle with the dressing. Or toss them all together in a large bowl and serve into individual portions. Garnish liberally with coriander before serving.