Spiralized Veggies with Thai Peanut Sauce

Posted byLisa at Micro of the MacroPosted inRecipeTags:, , , , , ,

I first tried raw spiralized zucchini noodles at a deli in a Whole Foods Market near Austin, Texas years ago.  There was a choice of raw tomato sauce or spicy peanut dressing to top the noodles, and of course, I had to try some of each.  The peanut dressing was better, hands-down!  The bold, piquant flavors of that sauce haunted me, until finally, a few years later, I found a recipe that could be modified to taste similar.  (Regrettably, I didn’t record the name of the cookbook or author, so I cannot properly credit the person whose recipe I altered to create this fabulous sauce!)

Since that day at Whole Foods, I’ve experimented with many veggie noodle recipes.  In addition to zucchini, I’ve spiralized other vegetables, including cucumbers and sweet potatoes, and thrown in all kind of nuts, fresh herbs, cherry tomatoes, and coconut.  Sometimes I lightly sauté the noodles in olive oil with garlic, other times I leave them raw.  I’ve even cooked grain spaghetti and mixed it with raw noodles. I’ve found that the colorful, raw combination shared below is my favorite.

As for health-giving qualities, raw foods have significantly more enzymes, vitamins, minerals, alkalizing properties, and structured water than cooked foods.  From various sources, I’ve read that, owing to these beneficial factors, 50 to 70% of our regular diet should be raw.  When I first learned about raw foods from the life-changing book Conscious Eating by Gabriel Cousens, MD, the recommendation was for 100% raw – too radical for me, but I’ll admit, the people I’ve known who can manage that lifestyle are incredibly healthy.  As much as I love to cook, going completely raw would take away my favorite creative endeavor.  But I do shoot for 50% raw each day.  My morning fruit and vegetable smoothie accomplishes most of that goal.  I also eat quite a few salads and avocados, & often snack on raw veggies while I’m prepping them to cook.  During the hotter months, there’s nothing I find more refreshing than a cool slab of watermelon.  Additionally, I’ve started making various dessert balls by combining oats, nuts, dates, & other raw ingredients in the food processor.  They are so yummy, I give them as gifts!

On to the recipe.  My sincerest thanks to the cookbook developer whose name I did not record; this sauce was inspired in large part by the recipe Soba Noodles with Peanut and Ginger Sauce.

(Those of you with peanut allergies can sub almond butter & top with chopped almonds. I’ve made the sauce this way many times, even though I’m not allergic.)

Yield: 2 Large Servings 

Ingredients (use all organic/non-GMO if possible)
8-10” long zucchini, spiralized
6” long daikon radish, spiralized
Large carrot, spiralized or cut into thin strands with a veggie peeler
Large red bell pepper, cored, seeded, & sliced into thin strips
1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced (optional)
2 tbsp tamari
2-3 tbsp maple syrup (to your preferred sweetness)
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 tsp freshly grated garlic
1 1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/4 tsp cayenne
6 tbsp peanut butter
1/3 – 1/2 cup water (to your desired consistency)
salt to taste, if needed
chopped peanuts for the top

Directions
Mix all the vegetables in a medium bowl. Put the next 7 ingredients (tamari through peanut butter) in a small blender cup & spin until creamy and well combined. Add part of the water & spin again. Stop and check consistency. Add more water (or don’t) until you’re happy with the thickness. Taste for salt, adding a dash or 2 if needed.

Split the veggie noodles between 2 bowls and top with *sauce & chopped peanuts. Enjoy!

*You will have leftover sauce. Try its deliciousness on any green salad, or simply spiralize more veggies! Or, how ’bout using it as a dip for fresh rolls? It also works beautifully as a stir fry sauce. It might even be good on chocolate ice cream😊! It will thicken after refrigerating, so whisk in an extra tablespoon or so of water as needed the next day.

The content of this article is for educational and informational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with a qualified health care professional before acting on any information presented herein. Any statements about the possible health benefits of any subject discussed have not been evaluated by medical professionals or the Food & Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or illness.

77 thoughts on “Spiralized Veggies with Thai Peanut Sauce”

  7. Wow, those food pictures made my mouth-water! Not only are you obviously an extremely skilled cook – you also seem to be quite adept at photography! Noodles with peanut sauce are indeed delicious, they also taste nice with soy sauce. I understand why you couldn’t go one-hundred percent raw – that does sound like quite a radical diet. But at fifty percent everyday, you’re certainly doing much better than the rest of us! (speaking of, I should probably eat some fresh grapes before bed) 😊 Thanks for sharing, it’s always a pleasure visiting and reading your posts.

    Liked by 7 people

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  12. Ahh Lisa, all my favourite veggies in one bowl … and I don’t mind eating them raw! Who does not like a peanut sauce – and then even home made! Thanks for sharing this!
    We are now just about ready for breakfast, so I’ll grab my apple and pineapple to enjoy with an omelette 😋.
    Enjoy your weekend!

    Liked by 6 people

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    1. Hi, Corna, I agree, homemade is almost always better than store bought, or even restaurant made! The last few times we’ve gotten peanut sauce from our favorite Thai restaurant, it’s been pretty tasteless – not sure what happened there! Here’s hoping your breakfast was nummy and your weekend is sunny! 🌞

      Liked by 2 people

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  16. Nice! More raw foods are really important to healthy diet. This sauce looks really interesting. Unfortunately I’m allergic to both almond and peanuts. But I think Sunflower butter might work as well, Thanks for sharing this!

    Liked by 4 people

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    1. Cindy! I’ve missed you too, Love! Thanks for your sweet comment! I have been super busy. My life partner was out of town for a couple weeks, leaving me to run the lab on my own. Also, I’ve started climbing again after and 11 month hiatus (which makes me sooooooooo happy!) But I’m starting to feel like I’m chasing my tail most days! How have you & your beautiful family been? 🌞

      Liked by 1 person

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  23. Not only does this look delicious, it sounds delicious and I can only imagine the amazing fragrance produced from combining all of these ingredients. You have my permission to “overnight” any leftovers you might have any time! Please contact me before doing so to confirm my current location!

    Liked by 5 people

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