These rainbow noodles with Thai sauce are simply raw vegetables noodles sent to a new level by this creamy sauce. It’s like taking a trip to southeast Asia without having to leave your kitchen.
Whenever I want to have a light, nourishing and detoxifying lunch, I think of something raw. I love salads and cold soups, especially in summer, but if I can add a twist to any of these and play with the flavors and ingredients, I definitely go for something more special.
If you’ve shied away from raw recipes in the past, this dish makes a great entry into eating more raw veggies and fruits. Cooking foods depletes a lot of their nutrients, so you get the most nutrients from keeping the food raw. Fortunately there are ways to prepare these foods that makes it more appetizing than just sitting down to a plate of raw vegetables.
You would think that peanuts would be involved in some way in a Thai-style sauce, but peanuts are not really a detox ingredient so there’s no trace of peanuts in this Thai sauce. Only clean ingredients that complement the detox raw noodles perfectly.
You can obtain the same creaminess using sunflower seeds, and also benefit from their nourishing properties. Sunflower seeds are packed with protein, iron, vitamins B6 and E, which acts as an anti-inflammatory. They’re also a fantastic source of magnesium and selenium, the key minerals that activate detoxification within liver cells, stimulate DNA repair in damaged cells, and activate the enzyme glutathione peroxidase, responsible for protecting cells against cancer.
Sunflower seeds also contain high amounts of monounsaturated fat, which helps your body better absorb the antioxidants in raw vegetables, and also to eliminate the neutralized toxins via the liver. The nutrients in sunflower seeds become active after soaking them at least one hour in purified water, which deactivates the phytic acid and enables the absorption of nutrients within the body’s cells.
Soaking sunflower seeds makes them a perfect base for creating creamy sauces like this detox Thai sauce. Combine them with flavorful ingredients like ginger, which sooths the digestive system and stimulates the elimination of toxins, with pungent ones like apple cider vinegar to enhance the taste and stimulate fat burning. Add in some lemon juice to create an alkaline mix and add a fresh zing to the whole combination.
Raw vegetables are the best source of detoxifying nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, as well as vitamins and fiber. They contain high amounts of water, making them the perfect cleansing ingredient for your kidneys.
You can pretty much use any vegetable you prefer, but the colorful ones like carrots, red cabbage, zucchini, cucumber and beetroot contain the highest amounts of antioxidants and will enhance the detox effects of this delicious raw salad.
One last tip: If you don’t have a spiralizer, simply cut them in thin slices, so they’ll be easier to coat in Thai sauce.
(Make this next: Raw Detox Soup with Beets)
- For the salad
- 2 carrots, peeled spiralizer or cut into thin stripes
- ½ medium red cabbage head, cut into thin stripes
- 2 zucchini, spiralized or cut into thin stripes
- 1 medium parsnip, spiralized or cut into thin stripes
- 3 scallions, finely diced
- ¼ cup almonds, crushed
- For the dressing
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds, soaked overnight
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 inch ginger piece, peeled
- 1 lime, juice only
- 1 tsp agave nectar
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ tsp red chili flakes
- A pinch sea salt
- ¼ cup purified water
- Add all the dressing ingredients into a blender and pulse to obtain a creamy sauce. Add more water to obtain the desired consistency.
- Place all the vegetables into a large bowl, add the Thai sauce and mix to combine.
- Top with crushed almonds and diced scallions and serve.
P.S. Have you signed up for my free 24 Hour Detox Challenge yet? If not, you can download the free meal plan and sign up here (includes my favorite raspberry and peach morning detox water, avocado and blueberry salad in a jar, ginger lemon tea and 4 other detox recipes for weight loss).
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