Simply Quinoa

Pad Thai Zucchini Noodle + Quinoa Salad

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PAD THAI ZUCCHINI NOODLE SALAD with a creamy peanut butter sauce and quinoa for extra protein [vegan]

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Today I'm remaking one of my favorite take out dishes of all time: Pad Thai!

This noodle dish is traditionally served with rice noodles, egg, some sort of protein and a delicious peanut sauce. It often might feel like a healthier option, but there's a lot of junk hiding inside. The noodles are basically pure starch with zero nutritional value. The sauce usually has sugar, fish sauce and a ton of sodium in it, and the whole thing is finished off with a high-heat saute in vegetable oil.

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So…is pad thai healthy? Not really.

But with a few tweaks, we've been able to get rid of all the crappy ingredients and transform this dish into a nourishing, flavorful and veggie-packed salad that requires no cooking and takes about 10 minutes to make.

Cheaper than takeout. Faster than takeout. And healthier than takeout. That's a win in my book.

Zucchini Noodle Pad Thai -- a simple dish that doesn't require any cooking, is totally healthy and SUPER flavorful!

Pad Thai Zucchini Noodles -- arguably the easiest pad thai EVER! with tons of veggies, quinoa for protein and a healthy peanut butter sauce! [vegan + gluten-free]

So it's time to whip out your spiralizer, slice of up some veggies and dig into this healthy pasta dish.

And if you don't have a spiralizer already, the one I'm using in today's video is The Inspiralizer — I've tested out a bunch of different tools and this one is by far the best. I talked about the features I love about it before in this post, but if you are in the market for a spiralizer, I highly recommend this one! Click here to grab an Inspiralizer.

Healthy Pad Thai Zucchini Noodle Salad with veggies, quinoa and a creamy peanut butter sauce. So simple and SO flavorful!

Since I'm a big pasta lover and we're getting into zucchini season, I'm planning to use my spiralizer a lot this summer. I'll be sure to share some of my creations on the blog, but I'd also love to hear what your favorite spiralized recipe is!

Your turn…

Do you spiralize? What's your favorite veggie/recipe? Leave a comment below so we can also give each other inspiration for this amazing kitchen gadget!

And if you haven't joined the SQ community on YouTube yet, make sure you subscribe so you don't miss any of my videos (I don't always post them on the blog!)

xo Alyssa

Pad Thai Zucchini Noodle Salad! with a creamy peanut butter sauce, crunchy cabbage and fluffy quinoa!

Pad Thai Zucchini Noodle + Quinoa Salad

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Preparation 10 mins 2018-05-21T00:10:00+00:00
Serves 2     adjust servings

Ingredients

  • 1 medium zucchini
  • 1 cup shredded cabbage
  • 1 cup sliced red bell pepper
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts

for the sauce

Instructions

  1. Slice the ends off the zucchini and secure it to your spiralizer. Spiralize the zucchini into long noodles and transfer to a large bowl.
  2. Thinly slice the cabbage and pepper, either with a knife or mandolin slicer, and add that to the bowl with the zucchini noodles, along with the scallions, cilantro, quinoa and peanuts.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it’s thin enough to pour — you’re looking for the consistency of a creamy dressing.
  4. Pour dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat. Transfer to two bowls, sprinkle with a bit more peanuts and cilantro and enjoy!

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1 review
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
Amount Per ServingAs Served
Calories 311kcal Calories from fat 168
% Daily Value
Total Fat 19g29%
Saturated Fat 3g15%
Transfat 0g
Sodium 426mg18%
Carbohydrate 28g9%
Dietary Fiber 8g32%
Sugars 9g
Protein 14g

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:

Calories2000
Total FatLess than65g
Sat FatLess than25g
CholesterolLess than300mg
SodiumLess than2,400mg
Total Carbohydrate300g
Dietary Fiber25g



 

 

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Zucchini Noodle Pad Thai -- a simple dish that doesn't require any cooking, is totally healthy and SUPER flavorful!

Comments

  1. I spiralise loads and use the Inspiralizer. I’m disabled uou won’t recall but this is so much better I fave my Lurch one away with a massive gash in my right index finger knuckle.
    I do bulk spiralising then put everything in bags and freeze in 100g sizes. Not white potato or fruit but everything else uncooked.
    If I see a recipe using cubed veg, wherever I can I spiralise. My go to help is Ali @inspiralised I’ve learned loads, you are both my saviours. Ali shows in spiralising 1st then blend to make rice saved time, power etc.
    So good job.
    I don’t like Chinese or Thai food it’s full of crap as you say. Hubby loves it but rarely gets it…. Asian food lol…. Id cook this with him. He’d be happy + crap free.
    Thanks dear 😊

    Reply

    • Love to hear that Heather! And so happy that you’re enjoying spiralizing. Isn’t Ali the best? She’s a great friend of mine and is such an inspiration. She’s changing the world one pasta lover at a time 😉

      Reply

    • Most of the time I actually do eat the zucchini noodles raw because I like the crunch, but you can totally cook them! That’s how Matt likes to eat them 🙂

      Reply

  3. So you know Ali Mafucci? I follow her too. Did you know you can inspiralize the cabbage and red pepper too? I follow you and Ali for all your great recipes! Glad you two are friends.

    Reply

  5. You are a genius for this recipe. I just made it and… OH MY GOODNESS! Love it! I forgot the scallion when I was at the store today so I think it will be even better when I make it next time. Which will be immediately when this batch is finished. So good. THANK YOU!!

    Reply

  6. I loved the Pad Thai Salad but I missed the hint of sweetness so added a little raw honey to the sauce and it was just perfect. I also added more quinoa. Thanks so much for a great recipe!

    Reply

  7. Hi! Was wondering what type of mandolin slicer you used? I’ve checked Amazon but the reviews for the ones listed are not great.

    Reply

  10. Hello
    This looks delicious. I am looking for recipes with no sugar which is how I found you… but this recipe says it has 9g or sugar… that is way higher then I wanted… but I looked at the ingredients and I cant tell where the sugar came from. Where is the sugar coming from in the recipe?? That way I will know which items to switch out.
    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Jen! I’m guessing the sugar is coming from the peppers, the sriracha and potentially the peanut butter 🙂 I can’t control the exact ingredients that the nutrition calculator uses, so sometimes it might be a teeny bit off! That’s why I always recommend that you use your own calculator and plug in the exact ingredients you have at home (it will be much more accurate!). xox

      Reply

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Meet Alyssa

photoAlyssa is the quinoa-obsessed girl behind Simply Quinoa. She's passionate about helping you find health, happiness and balance with wholesome recipes and lifestyle tips.

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