Wholesome Husband and I didn’t do much this weekend and it was nice. The colder weather returned to Chicago and it was sooo windy. It’s hard to believe that a week ago it was nearing 90 degrees and I was ready to whip out my swim suit and read on the beaches of Lake Michigan.
But soon enough (2 weeks from Wednesday!!) I’ll be on the beaches of Riviera Maya, margarita in hand with my best friend Patti. We are staying in this paradise of a resort for FREE! Her company sends all of the employees who have been there for 5 years on an all-inclusive trip to Mexico with a +1! So since she’s not romantically involved with anyone at the moment– I’m her date! 
So now that I’ve made you all jealous (hehe 
) I have another yummy Meatless Monday recipe for you guys!
Pad Thai is probably one of the most popular Thai dishes in America. It’s really easy to make at home and you can control the amount of oil used and veggies in the dish, so it’s much healthier. All of these ingredients can be found at your local grocery store – just look for the Asian products section!
Tofu Pad Thai
Adapted from Eat Drink and Be Merry
13 ounces brown rice noodles
4 Tablespoons sesame oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 shallots, thinly sliced
14 ounce package firm tofu
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup bean sprouts
2 Tablespoons cilantro, roughly chopped
3 Tablespoons peanuts, chopped
3 Tablespoons, green onion chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges
Sauce:
2 limes, juiced
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons Asian chili sauce
Directions:
1. Cook rice noodles according to packaging directions. (Try to time it so it’s done around the time of the sauce, they tend to clump without a sauce).
2. Meanwhile, combine all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl, stir well, and set aside.
3. Heat 2 Tablespoons oil over high heat. Add the garlic and tofu and transfer to a plate once cooked.
4. Add remaining 2 Tablespoons oil and eggs, cooking through. Break into small pieces.
5. Reduce heat to low, add the sauce, noodles, and tofu back to the pan. Toss well to combine.
6. Add the bean sprouts, scallions, and cilantro. Toss well. Garnish with the chopped peanuts and lime wedges. Serves 4.
Nutrition Notes: Rice noodles or sticks are a gluten free substitute for traditional pasta for those with gluten intolerances or Celiac disease. But in this traditional Thai dish, rice noodles are always used. Rice noodles don’t have much flavor (kind of like pasta) but they are used more for texture and a medium to soak up all that delicious sauce and bring the veggies to your mouth! Ounce for ounce, regular pasta and rice noodles have the same number of calories and similar carbohydrate measures. Rice noodles are made out of rice flour and water so they don’t have much nutrient content to them but the brown rice version adds more fiber — just like whole wheat pasta!
Taste Test: This version tastes just as good as the dishes at any Thai restaurant! I used tofu but you could easily use chicken, beef or leave out the main protein altogether – it does include two eggs anyway!
Enjoy!
