Just when I thought spring has sprung, the weather started getting chilly again. It rained last night and drizzled a bit today, and the creek next to our house was flowing along nicely. The snow missed us, but it looks like it’ll be pretty cold and rainy for the rest of the week. I started making some cozy comfort foods over the weekend but now it’s time to search for more recipe ideas that’s not only filling and warming, but healthy, as well.
I’ve been wanting to try some zucchini “noodles” for some time. This is nothing more than very thin-sliced zucchini that is eaten raw and in place of regular noodles, but it’s higher in vitamins and minerals, easy to prepare and there’s no cooking involved! I wanted a creamy sauce to go with it, so I searched online for a dairy-free alfredo sauce, but when I was slicing the zucchini, for some reason I just thought, “I want satay sauce!”
I love peanut butter and peanut butter-based foods, sweet or savory, they’re all delicious to me. Satay is Thai-style grilled meat skewered and cooked over hot coals. It is accompanied with a peanut dipping sauce made with peanut butter and can include a combination of coconut milk, soy sauce, or fish sauce. This peanut sauce recipe is based off the one in The Best International Recipe Cooking Light cookbook. I still had it nearby when I made their moussaka the other night, so I flipped it open and found just what I needed.
Here are the ingredients for the sauce:

L-R: Coconut milk, raw sunflower seeds, lime, patis or nampla (fish sauce,) garlic, Sriracha, peanut butter, sugar.
This Native Forest brand of coconut milk is really good. Chaokoh used to be my regular brand, then I tried this (on sale) and noticed how much fresher the cream tastes. The Asian markets will have the coconut milk, fish sauce and Sriracha, a popular Thai hot chili sauce that is thick like ketchup but hot like Tabasco (very different flavor, though.) If your market carries ethnic foods, you’ll probably find those ingredients there.
To make the zucchini noodles you can use a vegetable spiral slicer. If you’re like me and don’t have one, you can achieve similar results with a sharp vegetable peeler and a good knife. First, remove the skin from the zucchini. Use the vegetable peeler to peel of wide slices of zucchini, rotating after every two “peels.” The zucchini was slippery, so be careful and place it on the cutting board, holding it with one hand as you cut off slices with the other.

Slice them thin like noodles then place in a bowl. I was worried they'd get brown (like apples) but they stay nice and creamy white.
Rotate and slice until you reach the seeds. Stack two or three zucchini slices and carefully slice them into thinner noodle-like strands.
I wanted something satisfying but not heavy, and this really hit the spot! And it didn’t feel like I was eating a regular salad at all. The zucchini noodles were more filling than I expected, and the savory peanut sauce was rich and velvety. I served this at room temperature and it was just right for what I wanted: a healthy, creamy, satisfying dinner with a good dose of raw veggies. More importantly, my husband also enjoyed his super-size helping of fresh veggies! There’s enough sauce for four servings, so feel free to double the salad mix, or save the leftovers for the next day. Just be sure not to store the salad and satay sauce together, it will make the veggies soggy.
Zucchini Noodle Salad with Peanut Satay Sauce
Salad:
1 zucchini, cut with a vegetable spiral slicer or sliced into thin “noodles”
1 carrot, julienned (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup shredded cabbage
1 cup chopped celery
Toss all ingredients in a large bowl, set aside.
Peanut sauce:
3/4 cup raw sunflower seeds, soaked for 2 hours, drained
1/2 cup no-sugar/no salt peanut butter
1/2 cup coconut milk
juice of 1/2 lime, about 1/4 cup
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1 teaspoon sugar (use 1/2 teaspoon if using peanut butter with sugar)
Blend all the ingredients until smooth, sauce will be thick. Add more Sriracha and sugar to taste.
Scoop 1 cup of sauce into zucchini salad mixture, toss well to coat. Garnish with cilantro, serves two.
April 24, 2012 at 11:27
This looks wonderful!
April 24, 2012 at 13:31
Thank you, Annemarie! I was thinking about you and Justa when I made this because it only cost about 60 cents for the ENTIRE salad!!!
April 24, 2012 at 13:50
That’s my kind of meal!
April 24, 2012 at 12:59
What a great combination! You are SO creative! I’m pinning this my Pinterest so I can try it when I get some Fish Sauce. Unless you think I can get away with not using it?? It really doesn’t agree with me but it’s been a few years so maybe I could try again?
April 24, 2012 at 15:04
Thanks for calling me creative! :)
April 24, 2012 at 13:46
If fish sauce doesn’t agree with you, maybe you can sub with tamari or soy sauce? Try making a sample of this with just a spoonful of peanut butter, a squeeze of lime, dash of soy sauce, pinch of sugar and coconut milk. Haha, dash, pinch…I sound like a gramma!
April 24, 2012 at 19:40
I absoultely love raw zucchini noodles and thai flavours! This is right up my alley.
April 24, 2012 at 19:53
This is the first time I ate zucchini noodles, and it is so much better than cooked mushy zucchini (blech!) I do hope you get a chance to try it, let me know what you think!