The Ultimate Vegan Pad Thai
Who says you need white flour noodles for comfort food? This recipe uses yellow beets and carrots with a homemade fresh sauce that's better than any restaurant. Trust me. The extra step is worth it. Extra nutrition and packed with flavor.
Ingredients
Noodles
- 1-2 golden beets peeled and spiralized (1-2 beets per person)
- 1 carrot spiralized or julienne, 1 per person
Sauce
- 1 medium lime juiced
- 2 tbsp coconut milk* canned, whole fat
- 1 tbsp coconut nectar or sweetener of choice
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos or soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp raw peanuts**
- 1" piece of fresh ginger I left the peel on
- 1/4 fresh avocado
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes add 1/4 tsp to start and taste if you like mild sauces
- ground pepper to taste
Toppings
- cilantro chopped
- peanuts crushed
- mung bean sprouts or pea shoots optional
- green onions optional
- lime wedges optional
Instructions
Sauce
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Throw all of the sauce ingredients together in a food processor or high-speed blender.
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Blend until smooth.
Noodles
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Using a spiralizer (Paderno 4-blade), use the “shredder” blade to spiralize your peeled beets and carrots. Or, use the Kitchen Aid medium spiralizing blade for your beets and carrots.
Option 1: Raw Vegan Style
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In a large bowl (or gallon plastic bag) toss the noodles, sauce and a handful of cilantro together.
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Serve in a bowl and add the toppings.
Option 2: Sautéed Style
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Blanch the noodles for 2-3 minutes in boiling water, or until partially softened.
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Put a little oil in a skillet on medium high heat, add the noodles, pour the sauce over, and sauté until the noodles are soft.
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Add toppings and serve.
Recipe Notes
*coconut milk: nut milk would probably be fine, but I like authentic flavor of coconut in thai food
**If you use peanut butter, omit the peanuts and coconut nectar from the recipe. Using peanut butter would also make it so you don’t need a high speed blender.
Golden Beets
I typically find them at Whole Foods. If you can’t find them in your grocery store, Sweet Potatoes or jicama may be decent replacements but I haven’t tried them. You could also buy regular noodles and just make the sauce if you aren’t gluten free.
Add Protein
In a pan, add an inch of oil, then add the tofu (or chicken or shrimp) and brown. Then set aside and add on top of the pad thai recipe.