Pad Thai

I have to say that I do NOT follow instructions very well at all and my skills in the kitchen are no different!

Over the weekend I picked up two gluten free cookbooks and today I made my first meal influenced by 125 Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes by Carl Fenster, PH.D. Thai Noodle Bowl

Dressing

¼ c unseasoned rice wine vinegar  (oops, I used seasoned rice vinegar)
2 tbs low-sodium gluten-free tamari soy sauce
2 tbs packed light brown sugar (all I had was dark brown sugar)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 – 2 garlice cloves, minced
¼ to ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Noodles
12 oz GF fettuccine or Pad Thai noodles, cooked and drained (didn’t get either of thses, so I used rice noodles)
1 c show peas, halved diagonally
2 c very fresh mung bean sprouts (good luck finding these!!!!)
1 large carrot, peeled and cut ¼ in diagonal slices
1 c unpeeled English cucumber, diced (I like normal cucumbers, not to mention they are at least half the price of their English counterpart!)
½ c sliced red bell pepper, cut in 1/8-in strips
½ c chopped fresh cilantro
¼ c peanuts, chopped for garnish

1.       Place all of the dressing ingredients in a blender and process until very smooth. Set aside.

2.       Cool the noodles to package directions, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until done, and dropping the snow peas into the boiling water during the last minutes of cooking to blanch them.  Drain the noodles and snow peas in a sieve, then place them in a large bowl. Add the bean sprouts, carrot, cucumber, bell pepper, and ¼ c of the cilantro.  Drizzle with enough dressing to coat thoroughly and toss well.  Serve, garnish with the remaining ¼ c cilantro and the peanuts. 

 

Calories 305   *   Fat 6g   *   Protein  12 g  *   Carbohydrates 51g *   Cholesterol 55mg   *   Sodium 358mg *   Fiber 4g

 

Like I said, I do not do so well with instructions; I made it to the end of Step 1 before I started doing my own thing!  Since I am the only fishaterian in the house, I was a nice person and made chicken for everyone else to put on top of their noodle bowl and I might have had a couple of shrimp just on top of mine! It tasted great without any additional protein on top.  I personally did not feel the bell peppers were really needed. This dish was nicely filling and it was a huge hit with everyone in the house.

(pictures will follow once my computer starts acting nice!)