Pad Thai Kelp Noodle Salad

This has been kind of a weird and interesting food week.  I've been feeling a bit off, physically, the last few weeks.
Curious about trying a more alkaline approach with my meals {stumbled upon The Alkaline Sisters a while back....compelling and gorgeous blog}, I decided to give it a go.
So, for the last 5 days I've had no coffee, alcohol {had to give up that lovely Chardonnay to the hubs to finish....drat!}, meat, dairy, refined sugar, or wheat.

What have I been eating? Well pretty much a vegan diet. Lots of veggies, fruit, nuts, almonds, lemons, green tea, quinoa, veggie burger, smoothies.
It hasn't been easy. I've missed coffee. A lot some days.
But, this little dietary experiment has been good for me in a few ways. I've had to plan ahead, be much more mindful about what I stick in my mouth, and cook more meals at home.
Jay said he would do this "alkaline thing" with me this week, 
but well....he cheated some. It's all good. 

These are kelp noodles, yep, that's right. Fat-free, gluten-free, low in carbs and calories, no cooking required, and slightly crunchy. I've been wanting to experiment with them and so I tried this raw recipe for Pad Thai. A couple tweaks and additions and oh my, it turned out crazy good. 
It's wonderful variation on Pad Thai...a crunchy, veggie-full noodle salad with an almond butter & miso dressing {hello happy Vitamix}. I felt so healthy and good eating this. 
Much better than after eating a burger...hello.

Here's a few other things I learned about myself this week...
I don't miss meat that much {guess that makes sense - I didn't eat it for many years}.
I can get through cravings, even if it sucks a while.
I love how appreciative and encouraging my husband is when I cook for us. He is truly my biggest fan. 
I feel more alive and vital when I experiment and shake things up in the kitchen.

More veggie cooking is definitely on the horizon. It's been an inspiring week.



Pad Thai Kelp Noodle Salad
Serves 4-5

adapted from Ani Phyo's "Raw Food Essentials"

"Peanut Sauce":
¼ cup almond butter
½ cup coconut oil
1 tablespoon tamari {gluten-free soy sauce}
¼ cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons molasses
1 tablespoon sweet white miso
1 green and 1 red thai chili pepper, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ to ¾ cup filtered water
Himalayan sea salt to taste

Noodles:
¼ cup sliced fresh basil
1 cup thinly sliced purple cabbage, barely steamed
1½ cups broccoli pieces, barely steamed
½ of red bell pepper, sliced
1 package kelp noodles, rinsed

1/4 cup toasted almonds 

Place the sauce ingredients into a high-powered blender or Vitamix. Blend until smooth.To serve, toss the sauce with the basil, cabbage, broccoli, red bell pepper and noodles. Garnish with toasted almonds.