Zucchini Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce

When needs must a bowl of gently tossed greens hits the spot. This salad has taken inspiration from Asian flavours and is packed full of fresh ingredients. Forget the handfuls of mixed lettuce leaves with olive oil and vinegar, but instead, enjoy a proper dressing with seasoned Asian ingredients. It’s a delicious, zingy salad to awaken your taste buds and one of my quiet cooking pleasures of the kitchen. 

Preparation time 10 minutes

Cooking time 5 minutes

Serves 4-6 people

Gluten-free | Vegetarian | Vegan

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini, julienne
• 300 grams flat green beans, stalk end removed
• ¼ head red cabbage, finely shredded
• ½ cup pitted black olives
• ⅓ cup thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes
• ½ bunch of fresh coriander, finely chopped

Peanut Sauce Ingredients

• ½ cup natural peanut butter (creamy)
• 2 tbsp gluten-free soy sauce
• ½ tbsp ginger, finely grated (about ½ inch)
• 2 teaspoons Azada Olive Oil & Crushed Garlic
• 1 teaspoon Azada Olive Oil & Crushed Chilli
• 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons warm water

Preparation

1. Prepping the beans. Blanch the green beans in boiling salted water until just cooked (5 minutes). Drain and refresh under cold water. Pat dry with kitchen towels.
2. Prepping the salad. Put the green beans, zucchini, red cabbage, black olives,  sun-dried tomatoes and fresh coriander in a bowl and toss until everything is well-incorporated. Pour over the peanut sauce, turning to coat. Set aside until ready to serve. 
3. Serving the salad. Transfer to a serving platter and enjoy. If you are in the mood for a hint of citrus notes, you may want to finish the dish with a sprinkling of freshly squeezed lime.

Peanut Sauce Preparation

1. To make the peanut sauce. Add all the liquid ingredients except for the water to a medium bowl and mix until well-incorporated.
2. Next, add the grated ginger and coconut sugar to the bowl and gently mix. Once combined, add 2 tablespoons of warm water to the mixture until your desired thickness is reached.
3. Rest for 1 hour before serving, to allow the flavours to combine.

Tips

Choosing a creamy natural peanut butter as a peanut sauce base won’t separate when adding ingredients to make a sauce and is easy to thin with water without breaking the emulsion.