No-fuss Plant Pad Thai

Love this take on Pad Thai, using carrots instead of noodles & piling in some healthy veges. A little bit of prep involved - mainly peeling the carrots (could use a food processor) but should be on the table in 30 minutes. Recipe is from Luke Hines 'Eat More Vegan' - latest cookbook to join the collection & loving all the recipes we've tried so far.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
• 1 long red (or green is fine) chilli, finely sliced
• 4 shallots, finely sliced (I used spring onions)
• ¼ small red cabbage, outer leaves discarded, finely sliced
• 1 red capsicum, finely sliced lengthways
• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos or tamari
• 4 carrots, cut into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
• 6 rainbow chard or kale leaves, stalks discarded, finely sliced
• 1 cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh or ground turmeric

Peanut sauce

• 3 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
• Juice of 1½ limes, plus extra if needed (I used lemon)
• 3 tablespoons coconut aminos or tamari, plus extra if needed
• 1 tablespoons maple syrup or coconut nectar, plus extra if needed
• 1 teaspoon chilli flakes, plus extra if needed

To serve

• 1 handful of fresh coriander leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts
• 1 teaspoon chilli flakes

Method

1. To make the peanut sauce, whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste and adjust the flavour as needed, adding more lime juice for acidity, coconut aminos for saltiness, dried chilli flakes for heat, or extra maple syrup for sweetness. Set aside.
2. Melt the coconut oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, chilli, shallot, cabbage, capsicum and 1 tablespoon of the coconut aminos or tamari and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Add the carrot, chard or kale and the remaining tablespoon of coconut aminos or tamari and saute for another 2–4 minutes. Add the peanut sauce, ginger and turmeric and cook, stirring often, for a further 3–4 minutes, or until everything is warmed through and the chard or kale is slightly wilted.
3. Remove from the heat and divide among serving plates. Serve, topped with the coriander, chopped peanuts and chilli flakes. Enjoy!