Peanut-Free Tahini Vegetable Noodle Stirfry

Peanuts can be a wonderful food, protein and flavor, until you find out you have digestive issues or food allergies. Peanuts, even though you may not be "allergic", can cause digestive distress time and time again. It is mainly because they can carry a fungus that will cause issues in your gut if you have an overgrowth of fungus in your gut already or you are sensitive to yeast or gluten. It is a highly allergenic food even though it does have a good source of protein. This is because it is technically a legume, and not a nut. That is why it has been called an earth nut or ground nut because it is a "nut" that grows in the ground like beans. I, myself, love peanuts, but have noticed that when my digestive system is in a very sensitive state I will react to peanuts in ways I didn't think possible.

That is why it may be recommended to you to avoid peanuts for a while not because you are fully allergic to them, but because if you take a break from eating them you may be able to repair your gut and have more balance in your intestinal bacteria. A good test to see if you are reacting negatively to peanuts or other high allergen foods is to take note after you eat them if your eyes itch right in the corner of your eye by your nose, or if you have a scratchy throat, or if you have itchy skin. Then you may notice more severe symptoms in the gut hours later, but that initial reaction may be noticed in your eyes, throat or skin. Something to pay attention to if you are trying to figure out some of the foods that may be causing you issues.

So why so much about peanuts? Well, this dish is traditionally more of the Thai based flavor that is always made with peanut sauce or crushed peanuts. Which by the way I LOVE. But, if you are trying to stay away from peanuts for a while, you may need to avoid the Thai restaurant and make some tahini veggie noodles at home. Tahini is made out of sesame seeds. It is a crushed sesame paste that should contain its natural occurring oils in the jar you buy and have a similar constancy to a nut-like butter. It works as a perfect substitute in this "peanut-noodle-veggie" dish. I made this dish the other night with lots of fresh veggies from the market. It turned out wonderfully and the best part is that you can control what you decide to put in it and what level of spice you want to enjoy as well. Lately I have been toning the spice down a bit to avoid more heartburn and discomfort. So here's the base of the recipe I used...Peanut-Free Tahini Vegetable Noodle Stirfry Recipe

2 TB of frying oil: olive oil or sesame oil

2 small-medium chopped green peppers

3 cloves of garlic diced

1 pound of green beans (about 1 1/2 cups)

1/2 pound (1 cup or so) of chopped carrots

other optional additions: 1 cup of chopped celery, green onion, or napa cabbage or other favorite veggie

Saute on medium heat in a large frying pan or wok: the chopped garlic and veggies in the oil for 5-7 minutes until they soften just a bit. Then add the following ingredients to create the sauce for the veggies to continue cooking in.

1/3 cup of low-sodium wheat-free tamari sauce

1-2 TB of apple cider vinegar

1 lemon or lime squeezed for fresh juice

1 TB of red pepper paste or red pepper curry paste (I use Thai Kitchen's)

1/3 cup of fresh natural tahini

1 TB of ground ginger

1 TB of agave nectar or sugar

1/2 cup of So Delicious coconut milk beverage (or regular canned coconut milk will work too, but you may need to do 1/4 cup full coconut milk, and 1/4 cup of water to make the right consistency).

After adding the above ingredients continue cooking on a lower heat until you have a creamy consistency to the sauce and the veggies are perfectly crunchy and cooked to your liking. You may need to add more tahini or coconut milk to get more saucy texture if you added more veggies or if the tahini you used was more stiff and less oily. Play with the amounts to get the consistency you are desiring.

Other main ingredient to find at a local Asian Market:

12 ounces of Thai style large or small rice noodles

In the meantime, soak the Thai rice noodles in a separate pot of boiling water for 3-5 minutes for them to soften and ready for mixing with the sauce and veggies...

Then add the soften rice noodles to the wok to soak in the sauce and veggies for just a minute to mix up the flavors and sauce. Add a handful of fresh Thai basil chopped and added last to the dish to add flavor if you have some on hand or so desire.

Then toss and serve, and it is ready for eating. I hope you enjoy and find rest and peace in your kitchen and in your life. Much love to you.

xoxo

Stephanie