Nearly Raw Tahini Noodles

By surethingjoemayo

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb Whole Wheat Spaghetti, cooked, rinsed in cold water, drained
• 2 Carrots, peeled and shredded
• 1/4 Green Cabbage Head, shredded
• 1 Stalk Broccoli, florets only, cut very small
• A Handful Fresh Mint, chopped, optional (cilantro or basil would be good, too)
• Sesame Seeds and More Mint, for garnish
• Tahini Sauce
• 1/4 Cup Tahini, see section above
• 2 Tbs Low Sodium Tamari, or nama shoyu, or regular soy sauce
• 3 Tbs Water
• 1 Tbs Sugar, or raw agave nectar
• 1 Tbs Rice Vinegar
• 1 tsp Chili Sauce or 1 Chopped Fresh Chili
• 1 tsp Dijon or Stone-ground Mustard
• 1 Pinch Salt, if needed
• Lots of Fresh Black Pepper

Preparation

Step 1

Cook the noodles and rinse under cold water. Drain and set aside, coating lightly with oil if desired to prevent the noodles from sticking. These can be made well in advance.

Cut your cabbage into quarters, then use a large chef’s knife to remove the core from one of the quarters, as shown at left. Discard the core, and wrap up the other three quarters for later use.
If you have a food processor, use it to shred your carrots and your cabbage. Use the shredder blade that has many holes for the carrots, and the blade that has one single slit for the cabbage. A box grater will work just fine for the carrots and a knife for the cabbage if a food processor is not available.
Chop the broccoli into small florets, creating pieces no bigger than small grapes. Toss all the veggies together and add the pasta. Stir together the sauce, tasting to adjust if needed.
When you’re ready to serve, add the sauce to the noodles and veggies and toss with your hands, coating everything evenly. Add chopped mint at the last moment, if using. Garnish with more mint and sesame seeds.

This will easily keep for a couple days. If you’re a big fan of sauce, you may want to double the recipe. This recipe makes just enough to coat the noodles. Extra sauce will really come in handy after the completed dish has been refrigerated for a bit; I find noodles really soak up sauces so it can be nice to have some extra on hand.

If you’ve tried tahini and disliked it, give it another chance. It’s kind of vile on its own, so balancing flavors is very important with this ingredient. If you want a little tahini flavor but can’t quite use the full 1/4 cup, consider adding some peanut butter in lieu of tahini. Personally, I find this a really refreshing change from the typical peanut sauces, and since it’s so easy to make, why not give it a shot?