Name: Raw Beet and Carrot Noodle Salad with Almond-Sesame Dressing
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: ¼ cup almond or peanut butter; 3 tablespoons tahini; 3 tablespoons lime juice (2 limes), plus lime wedges for serving; 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce; 1 tablespoon honey; 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger; 2 garlic cloves , minced; ½ teaspoon expeller-pressed toasted sesame oil; ½ cup hot water; 1 pound beets , trimmed and peeled; 1 pound carrot , trimmed and peeled; 5 scallions , sliced thin on bias; ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves; 1 tablespoon sesame seeds , toasted

Why This Recipe Works

We thought spiralized vegetables would prove an ideal canvas for creamy sesame dressing in place of wheat noodles, so we tested various vegetables. Zucchini noodles offered smooth texture, but for a nutritionally supercharged version, a mix of beets and carrots was the clear winner; and it looked stunning. (Those bright colors come from pigments—betalains in beets and carotenoids in carrots—associated with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.) Cutting the raw vegetable into noodles gave them an appealing crisp-tender texture, a perfect foil for the dressing, which we made by whisking together almond butter, tahini, lime juice, soy sauce, honey, hefty doses of ginger and garlic, and toasted sesame oil. We tossed our veggie noodles with the dressing, scallions, and cilantro, and sprinkled them with toasted sesame seeds. Tasters loved the contrast of bright and aromatic ginger and herbs with the nutty dressing and crunchy yet tender vegetables.

Before You Begin

For the best noodles, use beets that are at least 1½ inches in diameter and carrots that are at least ¾ inch across at the thinnest end and 1½ inches across at the thickest end. We prefer to spiralize our own vegetables, but you can substitute store-bought spiralized raw beets and carrots, though they tend to be drier and less flavorful. You can use smooth or chunky almond or peanut butter in this recipe.

Instructions

For the dressing: Whisk all ingredients, except water, together in large bowl until well combined. Whisking constantly, add hot water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dressing has consistency of heavy cream (you may not need all of water).

For the noodles: Using spiralizer, cut beets and carrots into ⅛-inch-thick noodles; then cut beet and carrot noodles into 6-inch lengths.

Add beet and carrot noodles and scallions to dressing and toss well to combine. Sprinkle with cilantro and sesame seeds. Serve with lime wedges.