Veggie Thai Salad with Zesty Squash Sauce

Finding it hard to please everyone at the dinner table? Having a hard time getting your family to eat enough vegetables? Here is the solution.

Ingredients

Butternut Squash Sauce

• 1 cup butternut squash purée (approximately 500g squash)
• ¾ cup coconut milk
• ¼ cup of water
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 3 green onions, roughly chopped
• 1 cup fresh cilantro
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• pinch of salt

Salad

• 225g rice noodles
• 2 zucchinis, peeled into ribbons
• 2 large carrots, peeled into ribbons
• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
• ¼ small red cabbage, thinly sliced
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, de-stalked
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 lime, quartered

Preparation

1. Roast or boil the butternut squash. I prefer to roast my squash because it caramelizes a little and is so flavourful, but boiling is a good option when you need to save time. If you are organized, you can pre-roast the squash ahead of time and keep in the fridge until use.
2. Boil: Peel the squash, remove the seeds and chop into wedges. Place into a pot with water, bring to a boil and simmer for 20 mins until soft. Drain and leave to cool down.
3. While squash is cooking place a small frypan on medium heat, add sesame seeds and toast for 5 – 10 mins, stirring occasionally, until light brown. You do not need to add any oil to the pan. Place sesame seeds in a small bowl and put aside.
4. Fill up your kettle and bring water to a boil. Place rice noodles in a large bowl and pour over boiling water, ensuring noodles are covered. Leave for 10 minutes until noodles are cooked. I like my noodles a little al dente, especially in a salad. Drain and rinse with cool water. Put aside.
5. Once squash is cooked, cooled a little and has been removed from its skin, place in the blender with coconut milk and water, purée well. Add ginger, garlic, green onions, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, cayenne pepper and salt and blend until well combined. Put aside.
6. Using your peeler (or spiralizer if you have one), peel zucchinis and carrots into long ribbons. Place in a large bowl with red pepper and cabbage. Add in the cooled rice noodles and pour in the butternut squash sauce. Stir well to combine sauce, noodles and all veggies. It may be easiest to combine with clean hands.
7. Serve topped with fresh cilantro, toasted sesame seeds and lime wedges. Enjoy! This recipe will make 2½ cups of sauce.

This recipe has been provided by Shannon Proulx – The Glorious Kitchen.