This has it all - spice, savory, a touch of sweet. I literally have to pace myself or else I'd inhale the bowl. I've been playing around with these kelp noodles. Each night I would find a recipe and modify it until I came up with SUCH a winning combination. Matt and I have been eating it like crack! :-) I wouldn't eat at the workshops because I just wanted to come home and make my kelp noodle dinner. BOY is it ever tasting heavenly to me and perfect warming herbs to eat this during this COLD COLD week! YUM!
For the noodle heaven:
1 package sea tangle kelp noodles
purple cabbage (optional)
Really rinse the kelp noodles and drain in a mesh colander. Transfer to a bowl. Thinly chop about 3/4 cup worth of purple cabbage and put in the bowl with the noodles. Mix and set aside.
For the sauce:
4-5 Tbsp almond butter
1/4 cup filtered water
3 Tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
1-2 jalapeno peppers, deseeded* (depending on how much spice you like - start with one and add another if you want to make it SPICY)
1 Tbsp agave
1 Tbsp nama shoyu**
1/2 - 1 Tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp hot pepper sesame oil (or regular sesame oil)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Put all sauce ingredients in your blender and blend until smooth and creamy. You may have to blend a while if you live in a cold place like VT and the coconut butter is still in chunks. This is actually OK if the VitaMix blends it for a while because it warms it up some. You just want to stop after a minute because you don't want to boil what you've got in the pitcher! After it's all blended and creamy, pour over the noodle and cabbage mixture and let sit for about 5-10 minutes so that the noodles get softer. * NOTE: Our healthy food store was out of jalapenos for a couple days so I used 1 Tbsp of my favorite hot sauce as a substitution for the fresh jalapeno peppers. This condiment isn't raw but it's what I had on hand and it still tasted heavenly. You could also substitute with a pinch or so of cayenne pepper. There's always lots of ways to substitute. **Another NOTE: Some folks will not use Nama Shoyu (an unpasteurized soy sauce) - it does have wheat in it so for some, there is an intolerance there. Others won't use it because they say it makes them over eat. I think it has a great taste and so I use it. I also use Bragg's liquid aminos which is another "no-no" to some. I think we can all make our own judgements of what works for our bodies and our pocketbooks. I care more about reducing guilt and shame over food but I do also want to give you another substitution. If you can't or don't want to use nama shoyu or bragg's, add a rounded tsp of your favorite miso as a substitution. SERVING SUGGESTION: Now this is where it gets even better! Make a salad consisting of baby greens, baby spinach and sliced up or grated carrots. Put some on a plate. Then add some (about 1/4 cup) of my House Kim Chi on top of the salad! OO! This is SOOOO GOOD! Then add some (or a lot) of the kelp noodles on top. This is such a delicious and satisfying dinner. I can't even begin to tell you how amazing this is. And beautiful too: white noodles, purple cabbage over fuschia pink kim chi over a green and orange salad. We make it very spicy and it's SOOO wonderful to eat the heat when it is so cold outside. The ginger and the jalapenos are awesome. My toes are warming up just thinking about it! :-)
