Last week I was sick of all my dinners, I am always happy to have a big salad and veggies, but sauce wise I felt like I had been eating variations of the same thing for weeks! Though most of my vegan cookbooks lean towards the sweet I have a precious few that vary. I was gifted a fab book called “Fresh” from the Canadian veggie restaurants of the same name. The wonderful Denise gave it too me, she also improved my life by sharing her water kefir babies when mine died in a tragic accident.

The recipe here is a blend inspired by two of the recipes. One is their “Tiger Noodles” and the other is their “Peanut Lime Dressing”. So here is my..

Vibrant Green Thai Inspired Dinner

Dressing/ Sauce- the cooked bit

• One big dessertspoon of organic raw coconut oil
• Half a teaspoon of nigella seeds
• One medium yellow onion finely chopped
• Three cloves of finely chopped garlic ( I used purple )
• One de-seeded medium hot chilli pepper chopped
• A baby finger tip of organic chopped ginger *
• A baby finger tip of organic chopped turmeric**
• A few dessertspoons of chopped fresh coriander/cilantro
• A teaspoon of coconut blossom sugar
• Five twists of black pepper
• Less than an eight teaspoon of sea salt

*org as it can have been irradiated otherwise

**if unavailable you can use a half teaspoon of org ground

Dressing/ sauce-the bits you blend with the cooked bit

• Two handfuls of de-stemmed coriander
• A dessertspoon of brown rice vinegar (the proper fermented no sugar stuff)
• Two dessertspoons of fresh lime juice- one tiny lime in my case
• One dessertspoon of tamari (again the real fermented stuff, gluten free too!)
• Two dessertspoons of natural unsalted peanut butter
• Another finger tip of chopped org ginger
• Two dessertspoons of soft coconut milk from the top of a can***
• Scant quarter cup of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
• Scant half cup of cold pressed sunflower oil

***do not do the whole can of coconut milk in the fridge thing, you want it soft. I had a curry tonight with the rest of the coconut milk. you can do the hard creamed coconut just soften it with a little warm water.

Noodles and veg bit!

• Enough buckwheat soba noodles for two people or your appetite****
• 125g/ 3 cups of organic baby spinach
• A cup of organic frozen peas
• Two dessertspoons of toasted cashews
• Some chopped coriander/cilantro for sprinkling when serving

**** I actually used sweet potato and buckwheat noodles- very nice

Method:

Get a wok on a medium high heat and add your coconut oil. Let it melt and heat for a minute. Add in your nigella seeds and black pepper and let them sizzle. Add in your onions, salt, ginger and turmeric. Cook until onions are softening add in your coconut sugar. Keep stirring until sugar melts and everything is coated. Add in your garlic. When onions are transparent add in your chopped coriander/cilantro. Set these aside to cool. Once cooled bung in your blender/ food processor.

Now boil a kettle and get water on for your noodles.

Using the same ring but a different pot, obviously! Let the dry pan warm for a minute. Toast your cashews until they just start to turn golden- don’t stray they burn easily… I speak from the experience as someone with no attention span. Set to one side.

Put your noodles on to cook. Mine only take 5-6 minutes.

Put all the ingredients for your dressing in the blender- put the sunflower oil in too. BUT NOT THE OLIVE OIL. Start blending and drizzle in the olive oil as it blends. If you can’t pour into your blender/ food processor then just put it in at the start. Blend and watch it turn a beautiful vibrant green!

Put your wok that you cooked your ingredients in earlier back on a medium heat. Rinse your fresh baby spinach and the peas ( to get the ice off). And throw into the wok to cook and wilt. Throw your cooked noodles into the spinach and peas and fry for a few minutes. Take off the heat, add your cashews and pour half of your scrumm-y yummy vibrant green dressing over the noodles and stir through. Check for seasoning- add more black pepper or salt if needed. Serve with a sprinkle of coriander/cilantro and with more of the dressing on the side!

Tasty, green and healthy.. and not another tomato sauce!! 🙂 Hope you try it out!!

Here is evidence of what a tidy cook I am….

Xs Aissa