I’ve said it before and I will say it again…I’m not much of a cook. Because of this I am really intimidated to cook and prepare items I am unfamiliar with. This week, I decided to challenge myself and make “Tofu Pad Thai”. Well, I have never bought tofu before, so that was interesting and really had no idea where to start with the Pad Thai dish. So here I go….
Recipe Hunt: Pinterest is FILLED with recipes. What I love most is you can add whatever veggies you want! I picked up cabbage and zucchini from the farmers market and the grocery store for the rest of the ingredients. To add more veggies, I opted for zoodles instead of rice noodles. Baby corn and shredded carrots also seemed like a necessity.
Sauce: As for the sauce, options included making your own or using a premade sauce from Asian Kitchen. For convenience (and lower price) I went with the Asian Kitchen Pad Thai Sauce. Side note: the Asian aisle at Wegmans is incredible and I could’ve stood there for hours looking at all the different sauces.
Buying Tofu: After some much needed tofu research, I went with the extra firm. This is ready to eat tofu with little prep. The package also has tips on which type of tofu works best for different recipes. I can see how tofu is very versatile and can be used to replace any animal protein.
With inspo from Green Chef, it went like this:
- 1.5 zucchini
- 1 package extra-firm Tofu
- 2 shallots
- clove of garlic
- 1 lime wedge
- 2.5 tbsp of toasted peanuts
- Jar of Pad Thai sauce
- Can of Baby Corn, drained
- Veggies: Shredded Red cabbage, Matchstick carrots
- Garnish: Scallions & cilantro
- Spiralize zucchini and sauté with oil until al dente (are we allowed to use this term with zoodles?)
- Dice shallots and mince garlic
- Cut tofu in half lengthwise and cook in a nonstick pan with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Sauté shallots and garlic until soft and add baby carrots and corn.
- Add pad thai sauce. Stir and cook until sauce thickens.
- Add cabbage and peanuts. Heat for 3 minutes with lid.
- Dish out and garnish with more peanuts, scallions, cilantro and lime wedge
The result: Soooo, I am super pumped about this meal! It was delicious and super easy! I was intimated at first but worked through each step and made it work. The tofu was good but baking would add a nice crispy texture for next time. However, 8g of protein in one serving and the entire package for $1.99; I say this is a win! I didn’t look at the nutrition beforehand and added the entire jar of pad thai sauce. Well, it is FILLED with sodium and the jar has 8 servings. Next time, I will only add half the amount of sauce or try to make my own.
Which foods are you nervous to purchase or prepare? Comment below!
Happy & Healthy, Ginger
