When I first started brain storming this dish, I originally intended it to be a Paleo Pad Thai. However, it evolved more into a noodle dish with a few ingredients you would find in a Pad Thai, with an almond butter. The noodles in this dish are made from Daikon Radish. Now if you are like me a few weeks ago, you have a very vague/cloudy idea of what a Daikon Radish is. I had only seen it referenced in cookbooks, but never knew what it was-- until I went to the farmer's market and saw one for the first time in person. I was a bit surprised by its appearance. I'd never seen anything like it. It looked somewhat like a large inflated white carrot. Very bizarre looking if you ask me. Nonetheless, I knew I had to try it out. It's a great vegetable for spiralizing because it's dense (like a radish or an apple) and creates really lovely noodles that look a lot like pasta, especially given its light color! (view photos below for visual)
What's nice about the Daikon radish is that it is pretty neutral in taste, so it really absorbed the flavors of the seasoning I cooked it in, along with the almond butter sauce. The almond butter sauce was a slight modification on the almond dressing I used in my Blackened Tilapia Salad. I added a bit more almond butter and coconut oil to make it thicker and creamier, and also a small piece of ginger (going with the Pad Thai theme). The sauce actually kind of reminded me of an Alfredo sauce. So if you can't eat dairy this would be a great way to satisfy an Alfredo pasta craving. This was the first time I have come anything close to eating a cheesy pasta since my dietary changes.
As far as the rest of the meal goes, I added in a few vegetables that you would typically find in a Pad Thai, like carrots, scallions, and cilantro, but also some other veggies I had around the house (peppers & kale). Overall, I found this to be a fun tasty dish that really hit the spot. Try adding grilled chicken or shrimp for some protein.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 6-8 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
For the stir fry:
For the sauce:
The creation:
1. In a wok stir fry pan, heat sesame oil, coconut aminos, lime juice, and garlic over medium high heat. Once simmering, add scallions, pepper, and carrots. After 1 minute, add in kale. Let cook for 1 minute. Lower heat to medium and add in Daikon noodles. Thoroughly incorporate Daikon noodles and vegetables together. Let cook for 4 minutes while periodically mixing vegetables.
2. Reduce heat to a simmer and let noodles sit 2-5 minutes while preparing dressing.
3. In a food processor, place all ingredients for sauce and pulse on high for 30 seconds until well mixed.
4. Mix sauce in with noodles. Garnish with cilantro.
Cook time: 6-8 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
For the stir fry:
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- Juice of 1/2 a lime
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- 4 scallions
- 1/4 green pepper chopped
- 1/4 yellow pepper chopped
- 2 carrots grated
- 2 stalks of dinosaur kale chopped
- 1 1/2 Daikon Radish spiralized
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 2 tablespoons coconut butter melted
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- 1 clove of garlic
- One 1 in. piece of ginger, peeled
- Juice of 1 lemon
The creation:
1. In a wok stir fry pan, heat sesame oil, coconut aminos, lime juice, and garlic over medium high heat. Once simmering, add scallions, pepper, and carrots. After 1 minute, add in kale. Let cook for 1 minute. Lower heat to medium and add in Daikon noodles. Thoroughly incorporate Daikon noodles and vegetables together. Let cook for 4 minutes while periodically mixing vegetables.
2. Reduce heat to a simmer and let noodles sit 2-5 minutes while preparing dressing.
3. In a food processor, place all ingredients for sauce and pulse on high for 30 seconds until well mixed.
4. Mix sauce in with noodles. Garnish with cilantro.