Pad Thai

When I think about Thai food my mind goes straight to take-out! Call in your order, say your spice level and within ten minutes your on your way home with dinner. But why not make it yourself?  The best part about it is that you can customize it with anything you wish. The options on what you can put in pad thai are limitless. You can add a variety of vegetables, and use any type of protein you like: chicken, shrimp, beef, or make it vegetarian by adding tofu. Many of the ingredients were not in my cupboard and my initial grocery list was not too small but most of the ingredients can be found at any grocery store. Another plus is that you only use a bit of each ingredient so you will be stocked up on many common Thai spices to continue making a variety of your favorite Thai dishes without having to go to the store again. Overall it may seem a little more expensive than take-out but I feed 3 people and had leftovers not too mention all the ingredients in my cupboard still waiting to be used many times again!

Recipe: 

8 oz. uncooked flat rice noodles

2 TBS. dark brown sugar

2 TBS. soy sauce

1 1/2 TBS. fish sauce

1 1/2 TBS. fresh lime juice

1 TBS. sriracha or chili garlic sauce

3 TBS. canola oil

1 cup (2 inches) green onion pieces

8 oz extra firm tofu, or your preferred choice of protein

5 cloves garlic

1 cup fresh bean sprouts

1/4 c. chopped peanuts

3 TBS. fresh sliced basil

Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light magazine 

I added mushrooms and broccoli to add a few more vegetables to the entree. I sauteed them along with the onion, tofu, and garlic. The vegetables not only add extra great nurtrition into your meal but they also help to fill you up on fewer calories thus making this dish much healthier than ordering it from a restaurant. 

 1. Cook noodles and drain. Combine sugar and next 4 ingredients in small bowl. 

2. Heat skillet over med-high heat (or wok) add oil. Add onion, tofu and garlic and stir fry 2 minutes.

 

3. Add cooked noodles and toss to combine. Stir in sauce and cook 1 minute. 

4. Arrange 1 cup noodle mixture on each of 4 plates and top each with 1/4 c. bean sprouts, 1 TBS. peanuts and 2 tsp. basil.