Authentic Pad Thai

This recipe sounds really complicated, not gonna lie it is! However, to get really good authentic tasting pad thai takes work. This really does taste like the stuff you get at the restaurant. Its on the spicy side, so if you are not a fan of spice go easy on the red chilies. I made mine with tofu, however the marinade can easily be used for chicken, shrimp or beef. 

SERVES 4

For the sauce:

6 tbsp brown sugar 

4 tablespoons fish sauce

1 1/2  tbsp. tamarind paste dissolved in ¼ cup warm water

1 tsp. or more cayenne, to taste

1/8 tsp. black pepper

For the pad thai: 

8 ounce package dried rice noodles

1-2 tbsp sesame oil

1/2 (12 ounce) package firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch strips MAKE SURE YOU DRAIN IT!!

(Marinade for Tofu: 1 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 3 Tbsp. soy sauce)


1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 head broccoli chopped

4 cloves garlic minced


2 eggs

1-1/2 teaspoons paprika or 1-2 fresh red chilies minced

1/4 cup chicken stock


1 cup fresh bean sprouts

            


Topping:

3/4 cup crushed peanuts

1/2 lime, cut into wedges

3 green onions, sliced

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

Directions

To prepare Pad Thai sauce: In a medium sized bowl whisk together brown sugar, fish sauce, tamarind, cayenne and pepper. 

To prepare the noodles: Pour hot water over the rice noodles and let soak until no longer hard.( soft enough to be eaten, but still firm and a little "crunchy". )  This is important so that they do not come out gummy. Drain and rinse with cold water to prevent sticking then toss with a tbsp of sesame oil (or other oil if you don't have any)

To prepare the tofu (or meat of choice): Place tofu in small bowl. Stir together marinade and pour over tofu. Stir well and set aside.

To prepare the pad thai: In a large skillet or wok over medium heat, warm oil and add garlic, chili and broccoli. Stir fry until fragrant 30 sec. Then add in the eggs and scramble in the pan. Add tofu and stir until well mixed; when wok becomes dry add a little chicken stock (1-2 tbsp at a time to keep tofu frying nicely 5-7 min until cooked)  

Add the noodles to the pan, and pour the Pad Thai sauce over (start with less and add to taste). Using two utensils, use a gentle "lift and turn" method to fry noodles (like tossing a salad). Stir-fry in this way 1-2 minutes. If you find your wok/frying pan too dry, push noodles aside and add a little more oil to the bottom of the pan.

Add the bean sprouts  and continue frying 1 more minute, or until noodles are cooked. Noodles are done to perfection when they are no longer "hard" or crunchy, but chewy-sticky wonderful! 

Lift noodles onto a serving plate. Top with generous amounts of fresh cilantro, crushed peanuts and spring onion. Add fresh lime wedges to squeeze over each portion.

ENJOY!

Roasted Tomatillo and Avocado Salsa Verde

I adapted this recipe from: http://fabtasticeats.com/2013/01/31/roasted-tomatillo-and-avocado-salsa-verde/

 

Ingredients

• 4 Tomatillos husked, rinsed, and quarters
• 1/2 Jalapenos, chopped, seeds removed
• 1 small yellow onion, quartered
• 3 whole garlic cloves
• 1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoons cumin
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 avocado, seeded
• Juice of a lime
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 tbsp agave 

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. On a baking sheet, toss on the tomatillos, jalapenos, onion, and garlic cloves.
3. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with some salt and pepper.
4. Toss to fully coat
5. Pop in the oven for about 10 minutes, until everything starts to look tender and golden brown
6. Cool for about five minutes before transferring everything to a food processor.
7. Add in the cumin, cilantro, avocado, salt, agave and lime juice.
8. Pulse until well blended.
9. Place in the fridge until completely cooled.
10. Serve with tortilla chips or top those tacos!

Pad Thai

This is my own take on Pad Thai. It is unlike any other pad thai you would find in a restaurant but I promise its delicious!

Green Beans

Pesto Stuffed Chicken Breasts and Pecan Salad

These chicken breast were messy to make but well worth it!

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 T Basil Pesto 

4 T low-fat sour cream

4 T grated mozzarella cheese

(I used heaping tablespoons of pesto, sour cream and cheese) 

2 eggs, beaten (or if they're large eggs one will probably be enough)

3 T finely grated Parmesan cheese

3 T flour

black pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375F/190C.  Spray a small casserole dish with non-stick spray. Trim any visible fat from chicken breasts, then put them one at a time inside a heavy plastic bag and pound with meat mallet until the chicken is as thin as you can get it.  Don't worry too much about the shape or whether there are some loose pieces, you can tuck them in when you roll up the chicken.

In a small bowl mix together the basil pesto, sour cream, and grated mozzarella.  Use a rubber scraper to spread a thin layer of this mixture over each chicken breast, stopping about 1/2 inch from the edge of the chicken (so it doesn't run out so much as it cooks.)   Roll up the chicken breasts and secure them with a couple of toothpicks.  (I roll them so the finished piece is as thin as I can get it so they will cook quickly.)

Prepare two bowls, one with the beaten egg and the other with the grated Parmesan-almond flour mixture, seasoned with black pepper to taste.  Dip each chicken breast roll first into the egg mixture and then into the Parmesan-almond flour mixture, patting it on so the chicken breast roll is well-coated with the mixture. 

Put chicken breasts into the casserole dish and bake until the chicken is firm and lightly browned.  (Start checking after about 25-30 minutes; total baking time will be 30-35 minutes.)  Serve hot.



For the salad: 



Combine fresh spinach, candied pecans, feta and avocado (If in season add strawberries). Serve with raspberry vinaigrette! 

Baked Zucchini Chips

These were sooooo good!!! They werent too hard to make but the liquids part of the recipe was a little too runny so we added more flour! You couldn't even tell it was whole wheat flower at all!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Homemade Breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• heaping 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup cold milk (I used oat milk)
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 1/2 cups sliced zucchini (about 2 small zucchinis)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl combine breadcrumbs, cheese (if using) and black pepper.
3. In separate bowl add flour, milk and vinegar.  Gently stir until combined but do not over stir.
4. Dip zucchini slices in flour mixture and then dredge in breadcrumb mixture.
5. Place coated zucchini slices on a baking sheet (Brush pan with olive oil!) and bake for 30 minutes, flipping the slices over once halfway through cooking, or until browned and crisp.

Lettuce Wraps

Me and my momma made these for dinner they were great!! Both my dad and sister loved them. We sorta doubled the whole recipe and had more than enough for 4 people!

P.F. Chang’s Lettuce Wraps

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1lb ground chicken breast (we chopped 2 chicken breasts instead)

1/2 medium onion, minced

salt & pepper, a dash of each

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 inch gnob fresh ginger, peeled & minced

1 Tablespoon sesame oil

2 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 Tablespoon water

1 Tablespoon natural peanut butter

1/2 Tablespoon honey

1 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon rice vinegar

2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (or more if you like it hotter) (We used sweet chili sauce!)

dash of fresh pepper

3 green onions, chopped

1/2-8oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained & chopped

1/4 cup peanuts, chopped

10-12 large outer lettuce leaves, rinsed and patted dry

Directions:

1. Heat a large, non-stick skillet on high. Add chicken, onion, salt & pepper, and cook until chicken is nearly done, stirring often to break up the meat. Add in minced garlic and ginger, and continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink.

2. Meanwhile, in a microwave safe bowl, combine sesame oil, soy sauce, water, peanut butter, honey, rice vinegar, chili garlic sauce and pepper. Microwave for 20 seconds, then stir until smooth. Add into the skillet and stir to combine.

3 Add green onion and water chestnuts into the skillet then cook for 1-2 minutes until the onions are soft and the water chestnuts are heated through.

4. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts, and serve with cold lettuce leaves