September 5th, aka Vegan Mofo Day 5

Cheater Pad Thai

Rating: 4.5

Y’all, I’m a big ol’ sucker for noodles of pretty much any kind, but I have a special fondness for Asian noodles. The first time I had Pad Thai I was already a vegetarian (hold the fish sauce please!) and I was in love right away. Noodles, veggies, tofu, peanutty yumminess? Yes please! Still, it’s a bit on the greasy side sometimes, and while that may not always be a bad thing, it’s not the healthiest way to eat. I tried and tried over the years to make a version of it at home, but it just never came out right. Even after I learned the peanut butter trick. Sigh. I was sad and thought I’d never have Pad Thai again, since now I order much more adventurous dishes at Thai Restaurants (plus, I’m never really sure I trust the “hold the shrimp, hold the fish sauce” any more). Then, a few years ago, the Happy Herbivore Cookbook came out and “LAAAA” (opera voice, heavenly lights) there was a Pad Thai recipe that looked really legit. It is legit. Seriously legit. We love it. The sauce is crazy easy to make and I promise, you will not miss a bit of the oil. We like a LOT of veggies in ours so I always chop up some broccoli, bell pepper, shallot, green onion, carrot and garlic. If I have them on hand, I also add snow peas and sprouts. And tofu. Always tofu. I steam-fry the veggies in t he wok with about ¼ of water (broccoli & carrots first, then bell pepper, then shallots & green onion, garlic& snow peas; adding more water as needed). The tofu I marinated in the Veganomicon Asian Tofu marinade and then baked. Once the veggies are cooked and the noodles are done (I just buy a box a of wide rice noodles at the regular grocery store) I toss it all back in the wok over medium-low and add the sauce. I toss it with tongs so it mixes well and then garnish with a little bit of extra sprouts and green onion. A few chopped peanuts would not be a bad thing either. We like spring rolls alongside this, and there are several vegan brands available in the frozen foods section of many stores like Whole Foods and natural food markets.