Thai one on with a tasty slaw

I am not a raw foods person. Except for an occasional salad meal, I like my meals fully cooked, but this recipe sounded good and I knew that with some tweaks, it would be really good.
I found the recipe in a raw "cookbook" (sorry, but it can't be raw cooking...) titled something like "Raw Vegan Pad Thai." To me, if you want something like Pad Thai, have it. Leave the meat out if you want to make it vegetarian. The ingredients in the recipe sounded like a perfectly good slaw recipe so I went with that.
I added zucchini, red bell pepper and cilantro to the recipe and tweaked the sauce recipe a bit by adding pistachios and a bit of orange juice since the oranges are hanging heavy on our tree in the back yard.
The tamarind sauce that is used in this recipe is something that I had on hand, but it is not easy to find, nor is it particularly cheap ($5 to $6 for a 16 ounce jar). You can get something that closely resembles the sauce by simmering a couple of chopped dates in 1/4 cup of lemon or lime juice - for the purposes of this recipe...and unless you have other plans for tamarind sauce in your cooking, there's no sense in buying a whole jar of it.
(There is no shame in making something that approximates the taste and texture of something if it's not a product you need in your kitchen...you are the only one who will know it is not the "real deal".)
Wnen I put this together, I knew it was about as much like pad thai as I am like a world champion steak eater. But it is a very good light slaw (not the sort that is weighed down with mayo and sugar that you might find at a barbecue).
This is a hearty entree for a vegetarian (though don't eat too much as it is full of fiber, if you know what I mean. It also makes a good side dish to go with any Asian-inspired vegetarian entree or with any carnivorous meal where a slaw might work,...bring this to a Superbowl party and you'll be a big winner at the buffet table.

Thai Slaw

For the Slaw:
4-5 cups of shredded zucchini
2-3 cups of shredded carrots
1 cup of shredded red cabbage
1 sliced red pepper
1 to 2 cups of sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup of sliced scallions or green onion
A piece of ginger about the size of your thumb
Juice of one lime
1/4 cup of crushed (or whole) pistachios as a topping
Fresh mint

For the Sesame Ginger Dressing:
3/4 cup of sesame seeds
1/2 cup of fresh apple juice
1/3 cup of orange juice
1/4 cup of pistachios
1/4 cup of tamarind sauce (see note above)
about a 2" pieces of  fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 - 1 lime squeezed
  • Blend dressing until smooth.
  • Prepare your veggies by slicing, dicing and shredding.
  • Combine sauce and veggies in a bowl, top with dressing and enjoy!

Popular Posts