Fabulous Food Fridays!

When I use to do Fabulous Food Friday's it use to be different kinds of pizza every week. Since I am Gluten Free part of the reason for this was I wanted to find the best replica of full wheat pizza crust. That was my plan for today, but after I had spent an hour driving in the 108 degree weather to find a specific collar  for Po, I had this insane craving for Vegan Pad Thai. 

 Po and Sophie Modeling their New Collars. Yes, I know Po is a boy and shouldn't have a pink collar, but hey he is collar blind and it is the only color they had in his size. I found these at Marshalls and decided to spend the huge fee of 5.99, because they have a "leash" on the collar that will be perfect for trail walks when we run into mean dogs or Mountain Bikers. 

So anyways, after planning for most of the week to try out my New Socca creation as a Cornmeal crust, I changed my mind at the last minute and had to have Pad Thai. Pad Thai is one of my favorite foods, having grown up in the Pacific Northwest we had our choice of Asian restaurants and I grew to love this Thai dish, but when I moved to California I have yet to find a Thai restaurant close to home that replicates my beloved Seattle area Dish. A few weeks ago I was searching the internet for Pad Thai that didn't have 100 steps to the perfect dish. I found it and once I had copied and printed the recipe I promptly forgot it. I am willing to share it, but I can not take credit for this creation, I am simply the modifier and lover of it. 

Without further Ado I share with you 

Vegan Pad Thai

These are mixed together to make the sauce, the modification I made was for my beloved grandma who has a Peanut Allergie, so we use Cashew Butter and I think the Sauce turns out just as good. The first time I made it, I doubled the Sauce recipe and that called for 4 Tbls of the Chili Paste. Oh my goodness my mouth was on fire. I looked at Grandma and she had the perfect red lips of Gwen Stefani, but she loved it. 

 I didn't get pictures of the Veggie prep, Grandma did that portion, so I could get my workout in. But we had Green beans, Asparagus, Broccoli, Carrots, and Sugar Snap Peas as well as white Rice Noodles. 

 I didn't have enough Cashew butter so I pulled out my trusty mini- food processor and whipped up some more. 

 Here is the sauce after I ran it through the Vita-Mix. This Sauce is really so good, I could eat it by the spoonful. 

This is the final product, since I hadn't planned on making this I didn't have the Bean Sprouts which add a delicious, refreshing crunch and blends so well with the spicy sauce. I much prefer using Brown Rice Noodles than these Thin white rice noodles, they add a much better hearty flavor to the dish. 

I would encourage you to try this it is, quite good and for approx a 1 cup serving there is only 400 calories according to MyFitnessPal.com. 

Vegan Pad Thai Recipe:

Sauce:

2 T Vietnamese chili garlic sauce

1/4 cup each soy sauce and fresh squeezed lime juice

2 T tamarind paste (I used Hoisin Sauce) and rice wine vinegar

1 T red curry paste

1/4 cup peanut butter (I used Cashew Butter)

1/4 cup dark brown sugar (I used Organic Sucanat)

1 tsp each ginger “juice” (or use grated fresh ginger) and toasted sesame oil

1 pound of noodles (fettuccine, flat rice noodles, or other)

1 bunch green onions, sliced, or one onion, finely chopped

Optional vegetables: carrots, zucchini, cabbage, whatever you have on hand

1 to 3 packages baked tofu, and/or “chicken-style” seitan, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1/2 cup finely chopped peanuts

One package mung bean sprouts

1 cup or so basil leaves, sliced into strips (optional; cilantro also appropriate)

1. Bring some water to boil on the stove. Add the noodles and cook until soft but not mushy. Drain the noodles and rinse them in cold water to avoid overcooking them.

2. Combine the ingredients for the sauce. Put them in the microwave for a minute to melt the peanut butter and then whisk to a uniform consistency.

3. Heat a large non-stick skillet and sauté vegetables, tofu (and/or seitan) until cooked (if some vegetables need more cooking than others, add the ones that take longer first so that the others won’t be overcooked).

4. Add the peanuts to the pan.

5. Toss in noodles and sauce (and basil, if using) and mix well. Heat through. Add the bean sprouts. Mix well and allow the sprouts to 

come up to temperature without wilting them.

What is your favorite dish that you find yourself making on a weekly basis? 

Wishing you sweet and Spicy Dreams, 

I linked up with 33 Shades of Green for their Tasty Tuesday