Eat raw: peanut-free Thai peanut sauce vegetable recipe
Now that we are in July, the temperature here on the Costa Blanca is high and we are enjoying long days filled with sunshine. With the weather like this, we love to make the most of the raw vegetables that are abundant at this time of the year. Raw foods tend to be light and fresh, which make a lovely addition to a lunch or dinner. Combine the fresh vegetables, with the nuts in this Thai peanut sauce vegetable recipe dish and both your taste buds and your body will be singing in delight!
You might be wondering how a peanut-sauce can be peanut-free? Given the increasing number of people who have peanut allergies, we made the decision not to use peanuts at the retreat. However, this is a classic Thai meal and a lovely fresh summer dish to enjoy, so we decided to try almonds instead. And it worked a treat!
The calorie count in this dish is high because of the almonds. However, almonds are little gems nutritionally, so it is good to include them in your diet. If you are worried about calories, then you can use a couple of tablespoons less of the almond butter and a little more water instead. It won´t be quite so nutty but still tasty!
Kitchen tip: This recipe includes almond butter. You can purchase almond butter at most health food shops, however you can also make it at home, if you have a good food processor. To make almond butter, we toast whole almonds (no skins), then allow them to go cold. Pop them into the food processor and blend. You will need to keep scraping down the sides of the food processor. Blend for 5-10 minutes, until you reach your desired consistency. Pop into a jar with a screw top lid and it will keep in your fridge for at least a week.
Money saving tip: Make the most of the best of the salad vegetables available when you go shopping to save money. You can swap any of the ingredients listed in the “veggies” section, for whatever is best value in your local market.
Thai peanut sauce vegetable recipe
Serves: 4
Calories: 762 total, 190 per serving
Allergens: Tree nuts, soya
Ingredients
For the sauce
4 tbsp almond butter
1½ tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped or grated
2 tbsp chopped dates or raisins
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1½ tbsp tamari (or soya) sauce
1/3 cup water (plus more for thinning)
Veggies
2 small courgettes, cut into half moon shapes
2 large carrots, julienned
1 cup broccoli florets
½ cup fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Optional: bean-, alfalfa- or soya- sprouts
Method
Make the sauce first. Put all of the ingredients for the sauce into a blender. Process until smooth (2-3 minutes). Add more water as necessary to create a sauce that can be poured over veggies.
Place all your veggies into a large bowl. Pour over the “peanut” sauce and mix well. Refrigerate for an hour before serving.
Garnish with chopped coriander.
Plant-based food at La Crisalida health and wellbeing Retreats
If you have enjoyed this recipe, then come and try our lovely summer menu here at La Crisalida Retreats. All our food is plant-based (no dairy, meat, fish), with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, nuts and seeds. If you want to learn more about the food that we serve, follow this link to our food page.
You can also download our e-book Summer Food or try one of the many recipes that we have shared on our blog.
About the author
- Lisa is one of the founders of La Crisalida Retreats. She is an Epidemiologist, therapeutic hatha and yin yoga teacher and also teaches mindfulness meditation. Lisa has studied NLP and hypnosis, as well as nutrition (she designs the menus).
