Veggie Pad Thai: Bursting with high energy colorful vegetables.
This post has been edited from the original post published on February 27, 2017.
Veggie Pad Thai.
Naturally Vegan and Gluten free
Veggie Pad Thai
Gluten Free and Vegan
Whether you agree with the concept of global warming or not, you’ve got to admit the weather has been CRAZY these past couple of weeks. Last week we had a 75 degree day (thankfully I managed to spend some time at the beach with Calvin Klein), followed by an arctic plunge with bone chilling winds. One day I’m craving comfort food, the next something light and easy to digest. This recipe for Veggie Pad Thai is perfect in either situation…..which is a good thing since the roller coaster of temperatures and conditions is expected to continue…..it’s hearty enough to pass as comfort food, but there isn’t anything in it to weigh you down.
Prep made easy with a julienne peeler.
I taught this recipe in a Passover Cooking Workshop a couple of years ago (though it’s a fantastic recipe any time of year). It was when “zoodles” or spiralized vegetables were all the rage. In my book that’s still true….though I like to think my creativity has expanded the options tremendously. One of the things I quickly discovered when I was using raw veggies as my noodles was that if I didn’t cook them at all, they were too al dente for my taste–though I know lots of folks that love this dish completely raw. I found that heating the “noodles” even briefly took the edge off and turned the wide assortment of veggies I was using into something that legit could pass for noodles. Yay!
Leave it raw, or briefly stir-fry….either way this is nutrient dense and super tasty.
I had experimented with various brands of spiralizers and found one I preferred—–but I was hesitant to recommend that everyone in my workshops spend the money (or valuable kitchen space) on another gadget they may not use often enough to warrant that expense. So, I demonstrated how easy it is to use a julienne peeler to get the same result. I admit that I am a sucker for kitchen gadgets—-though, in my defense, I actually use the most of the gadgets I own on a fairly regular basis! So, if you have a spiralizer (or if you’ve just purchased the new kitchen aid attachment that does the spiralizing for you in no time) awesome……if you don’t, a julienne peeler will do the trick nicely. It may take a bit longer, but it will work just as well.
Prep the veggies in advance and then this will come together in no time.
Although this recipe can take a bit of time to prep, the good news is that you can prep it in advance of when you need it—-and if you’ve got everything ready to go, you can make this dish in well under 10 minutes! You can also make the entire thing in advance and gently reheat in the oven. Personally, I like to make a batch of the dressing (which, by the way, is so yummy as a salad dressing, or a dip for raw cut up veggies, or a marinade for flaky white fish, or a dipping sauce for satay chicken…..)OK….maybe make a double batch of the dressing, and then I prepare the veggies and put them in a covered pyrex lined with paper towel in the fridge and then quickly toss together a fresh batch whenever I want some. When there aren’t enough prepped veggies for a batch, I add some lettuce and toss as a salad. Yum!
Eat the rainbow! Start here!
Since we can’t get off the weather roller coaster, the least we can do is prep some awesome and comforting healthy food to have on hand no matter what the thermometer says! I love this recipe for no beef stew or vegan bolognese + spaghetti squash in those situations also!
Grain-free Pad Thai is nutritious and delicious.
📖 Recipe
Gluten Free & Healthy Veggie Pad Thai
Rate this RecipeIngredients
Ingredients:
- Sauce:
- ¾ cup almond butter
- zest and juice of 1 lime approx. ¼ cup juice
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 jalapeno minced
- 2 Tablespoons water
- No Noodle Pad Thai:
- 1 daikon radish
- 2 large zucchini
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 red pepper julienned
- 1 yellow pepper julienned
- 1 bunch scallions thinly sliced
- olive oil
- Garnish
- 1 lime cut into wedges
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- additional thinly sliced scallions
- ¼ cup chopped almonds or walnuts
Instructions
Directions:
- Make Sauce: Using blender, food processor or immersion blender, combine all ingredients until smooth. Adjust water for desired consistency. Set aside.
- Peel the daikon and carrots. Use a julienne peeler (or spirazlizer) to make them and the (unpeeled) zucchini into noodles. Place in a large bowl with the peppers and scallions and mix well.
- If you want to eat this as a raw salad, then toss with dressing now and skip to step #5.
- Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl olive oil to coat pan and add the veggies (you may have to do this in batches if you don’t have a large enough skillet. Mixture will “shrink” as it cooks, but you need to have enough room to toss it). Toss in enough sauce to coat everything. Continue to toss and cook for about 5 minutes until “noodles” soften and everything is heated through.
- Serve on large platter with cilantro and chopped nuts sprinkled over top and limes on the side.
- Sauce can be made in advance and will stay good in the fridge for a week. Veggies can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge in a tightly sealed container with a paper towel to absorb moisture for 3-5 days.
- Fully prepared Pad Thai can be reheated gently in a 350 oven for 15 minutes—–no longer or the “noodles” will get mushy.
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
Rae
The weather just in this past week has been almost… bipolar? I had planned an entire week of slow cooker meals but it’s in the high 60s and not cold enough for anything cooked in a crockpot. This pad thai certainly looks like it would be a comfort, even in warmish temperatures. I bet the addition of jalapeno just adds enough spice to make things interesting. 🙂
Debra Klein
Haha….love that description! Yes, the jalapeno is IMHO a fabulous burst of flavor. Enjoy!
Rae
The weather just in this past week has been almost… bipolar? I had planned an entire week of slow cooker meals but it’s in the high 60s and not cold enough for anything cooked in a crockpot. This pad thai certainly looks like it would be a comfort, even in warmish temperatures. I bet the addition of jalapeno just adds enough spice to make things interesting. 🙂
Pam
What a colorful and delicious looking dish. Your photos are stunning!
Debra Klein
Aw…thanks. It is really a beautiful and tasty recipe.
Pam
What a colorful and delicious looking dish. Your photos are stunning!
Jamielyn
Yum!! I am loving this low carb option! So many healthy veggies!
Debra Klein
The carbs that come from veggies provide the best energy!!
Jamielyn
Yum!! I am loving this low carb option! So many healthy veggies!
Ellen
This would be perfect for Meatless Monday. So many wonderful fresh vegetables.
Debra Klein
Yes!!
Sandi
Wonderful colors for one, and two Pad thai is one of my favorites. I don’t eat much asian food, but this is one of my go to recipes.
Debra Klein
Thank you! I agree….always have this one in my back pocket!
Sandi
Wonderful colors for one, and two Pad thai is one of my favorites. I don’t eat much asian food, but this is one of my go to recipes.
Sandy
Love the colors. I will try it but add fish sauce since pad Thai uses it. And I’ll add peanuts and a scrambled egg for same reason.
Will let you know about outcome.
Debra Klein
Sounds flavorful and crunchy. Let me know how it is.
Lisa Weinstein
I love love this recipe. Using the julienne tool makes it quick and easy!! Whenever my almond butter jar gets close to empty I make the dressing in the jar. The dressing also makes a good dipping sauce for fresh veggies.
This also looks great to bring to parties. Colorful and easy to transport!!! Definitely a family favorite.
Thanks Deb!!!
Debra Klein
One of my favorites too….Great idea to use the almond butter jar.