Thai food is one of the foods that I've missed the most since becoming a raw vegan, so I created this recipe to satisfy my cravings.  In my humble opinion, Thai food just isn't complete without peanuts or a good peanut sauce.  I've avoided peanut butter for a long time, even organic peanut butter, due to the aflatoxin (a carcinogen) from the mold that grows on conventional peanuts.  I recently discovered Vivapura's Wild Jungle Peanuts.  They are a beautiful, unique variety of peanut that are harvested from Ecuador and they are free of aflatoxin.  I decided to purchase a jar of raw peanut butter made from these exotic peanuts and I was pleasantly surprised by the smooth flavor, so I experimented with making a peanut sauce.  I'm quite pleased with the result, so here's the recipe:

Raw Vegan Noodles With Spicy Peanut Sauce

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp raw jungle peanut butter

1 Tbsp coconut aminos 

1/3 of a zucchini (peeled)

1 small piece of ginger

1/2 clove of garlic

2medjool dates (pitted)

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 red bell pepper

Cayenne pepper to taste

A splash of coconut water  

PREPARATION

SAUCE

1. Blend all the ingredients for the sauce in a blender until smooth.

NOODLES

1. Kelp noodles can be an acquired taste.  The first time I had them, I didn't know how to prepare them, and I found them to be quite off-putting.  About a year after my first experience with them, I had them at a restaurant in a raw Pad Thai dish.  My opinion of them completely changed (after tasting them prepared correctly).  The trick I learned is this: remove the kelp noodles from the package and immediately rinse and strain them.  Then, transfer them to a bowl and squeeze the juice of 3-4 lemons on them and one heaping teaspoon of pink salt (don't worry you'll be rinsing them again).  Make sure the salt and lemon juice is thoroughly massaged into the noodles (using your hands is better than trying to use a fork at this point).  Let the noodles marinate in this mixture for 3-4 hours; the enzymes in the lemon and salt will soften the noodles a great deal and they will have a "cooked" consistency afterward.  Once they are done marinating, rinse and strain them one last time.
2. Pour the sauce over the noodles.  Garnish with some crushed red pepper flakes, crushed jungle peanuts or cashews, and a lime wedge or two.

That's it! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. Check out our other recipes  here. Connect with us and our chef on  Instagram and get all the latest recipes and nutrition information.