Spicy Peanut Pad Thai

Photo: Brett Meon

You know that recipe that you make over and over again and EVERYONE asks you for it but you never seem to document it? Well, uh, maybe that just happens to me. But I do hear you guys when you say you want that recipe! But first, let me digress for a moment….

Last month I spent some time out in Boulder, the city I refer to as my “happy place,” where the sun is always shining and people are always outside. On Saturdays I would go on long bike rides and on Sundays I would go skiing; the slopes were just a quick 30 minute drive away. Instead of friends calling me and asking me to go for lunch or shopping my friends in Boulder would ask me if I wanted to go on a hike or a bike ride. The culture is just so different there than it is in my native New York. I can go on and on about how much I love that place but I’ll stick to the recipe over here! If you want to hear more about Boulder just ask me about it if you happen to see me. I can go on for days 🙂

Photo: Brett Meon

While in Boulder I came up with this Pad Thai recipe and pretty much made it every time I had a dinner party.  The idea for this dish was first suggested by a friend who wanted to do a themed dinner each week. One week we did a vegetable lentil stew with homemade chapati (fear not, I’ll get around to documenting that one). I was embarrassed to admit I had never had Pad Thai so I first needed to do some research before even attempting my own version of the dish. I found that it’s generally a healthy dish loaded with vegetables and a fair amount of protein, making it a one-pot wonder that can feed a crowd and eliminate the need for multiple side dishes. When I went to the store to pick up Pad Thai noodles I found that there were so many different kinds and, to my surprise, I found Explore Cuisine’s brown rice and even red rice variations! I went with the brown rice version and no one knew the difference. It is an easy swap that adds more nutrients to the dish without totally changing it. I love their products you can find other recipes using their bean pasta on my site.Another thing I tried was doing half brown rice Pad Thai noodles and half zucchini noodles. This added a lot more volume to the dish. If you are like me, one bowl is simply never enough so adding the zucchini means you can have a larger serving! For the protein I went with eggs, which are typically found in Pad Thai and scrambled tofu. This dish will even impress your non-tofu loving friends, trust me!

Photo: Brett Meon

The sauce is pretty simple and if you have a well stocked pantry you should have all the ingredients. Don’t be too strict about following the recipe exactly – if you don’t have braggs amino acid, use soy sauce or tamari. Cooking should be stress free and fun! I find a lot of people get caught up or frustrated in following the exact recipe but once you start cooking more you will get more comfortable with making your own versions of a recipe!

Photo: Brett Meon

I have never served this dish to someone who didn’t like it. It’s a true crowd pleaser. And even cooking it for yourself is a great idea because it’s amazing the next day too. And what’s better than having a home-cooked meal waiting for you at noon?! Doesn’t it kind of feel like someone cooked for you when you have leftovers? If you have a peanut allergy or simply don’t like peanuts you can use almond butter in this recipe. Or you can try the sauce from this pasta dish I made a while back. You can find the recipe here.Don’t be intimidated to whip this up for dinner. It’s fairly simple and sure to impress your guests and leave their bellies full!

Recipe: Serves 4

• 8 oz/1 package Brown Rice Pad Thai Noodles
• 8 cups spirulized zucchini or 6 zucchinis spirulized
• 13 oz organic tofu/1 block tofu
• 4 medium carrots peeled and sliced into long sticks
• 1 red pepper cut into long strips
• 1 onion sliced
• 4 organic eggs
• 1 bunch scallions finely chopped

Directions:

1. Drain your tofu and cut it into very small cubes.
2. Spray a large skillet with non stick spray and place over medium heat add sliced onion and tofu. Cook for ten to fifteen minutes mixing and breaking up the tofu frequently. Once the tofu and onion  is browning (you may need to add water to avoid it from sticking) add remaining vegetables.
3. Meanwhile heat water while the vegetables cook for the pasta.
4. Add carrots and peppers to the skillet with onion and tofu and continue to cook for another ten minutes (I like to make the sauce while the vegetables are cooking).
5. After ten minutes add spirulized zucchini to the pan and stir. Keep in mind the zucchini will shrink so it may not fit in all at once. Cook for an additional 15 minutes until everything is well combined.
6. By now the water should be boiling add pasta and cook as directed. Do not over cook! They will be too mushy to eat. Once pasta is cooked rinse very well with cold water and set aside. I like to add a little oil to the boiling water to avoid the noodles from sticking to each other.
7. In the same pan set aside vegetables leaving yourself a small space to scramble eggs. Whisk eggs and add to that corner of the pan (you can also scramble in a separate pan). Cook for 5 minutes or so mixing frequently.
8. Shut the fire  and  add pasta, scallions and sauce to the vegetables. Mix everything to combine so all of the pasta is evenly coated with sauce. Garnish with crushed peanuts and lime.

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice or lemon juice
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup braggs amino acid
• 1/4 cup siracha (more or less depending on how spicy you like it 1/4 cup is spicy!)
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Directions:

In a medium bowl add all ingredients whisk together or add to a blender and blend ingredients until smooth.