Easy Vegan Peanut Pad Thai

It’s getting colder here in Vancouver, which means it’s getting closer and closer to comfort food season. All I’ve been wanting these days are kitty cuddles, warm mugs of hot chocolate, and comfort food. Ever since the temperatures dropped, I can’t bring myself to eat cold food anymore – I haven’t even made a smoothie in over a month! Cold salads have been replaced with warm bowls of cooked veggies and hot soups, and lately all I’ve been craving is carbs. Lots and lots of delicious carbs. What is my current carb of choice? Rice noodles. 

I’ve always been a huge fan of pad thai noodles with tofu. I was even eating it way before I went veg – I just loved those flat rice noodles and the subtle nutty flavour of the stir fry. My current problem with Thai food is that there always seems to be fish sauce in everything! Even if you order it vegetarian at a restaurant (without the shrimp), I’m still concerned about the fishy flavour that could be lingering inside the dish. It is because of this reason that I now avoid traditional Thai restaurants, unless they are clearly stated as vegan. 

I decided to try my hand at recreating my favourite rice noodle dish – not a traditional pad thai recipe, but a similar one that omits egg and of course, that dreaded fish sauce. I’ve been really into peanut sauce this year, and have pretty much perfected it in my opinion (see salad roll recipe with zesty lime peanut sauce here).

This peanut pad thai started out as an experiment and quickly turned into my weekly go-to because of how easy it is to make. The best part about this recipe is that it makes A TON of noodles, so you’ll have leftovers for days. It’s also very fresh and an excellent way to use up leftover veggies. Enjoy! 🙂 

Easy Vegan Peanut Pad Thai

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Serves: 4 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients

1 package pad thai noodles (8 ounces)
1 package extra firm tofu
1 tbsp. sesame oil (for frying)
3 cups bean sprouts
2 carrots, peeled
1 cup bell peppers, sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1/4 cup raw peanuts, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 green onions, sliced

Peanut sauce:
1/2 a lime
2 tbsp. peanut butter
2 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. soy sauce or liquid aminos
1 tbsp. organic brown sugar
1 tbsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. hoisin
1-2 tbsp. water, to thin out sauce as needed

Easy Vegan Peanut Pad Thai was last modified: November 7th, 2017 by themindfulstrawberry

Instructions

1. Press and slice tofu into cubes. Fry in a pan on medium heat with a drizzle of sesame oil, turning every few minutes until golden brown. Set aside.
2. Prepare sauce ingredients in a small bowl, adding water to thin out as needed.
3. Fry bell peppers with a little sesame oil and peel carrots into ribbons. Add carrots and chopped garlic to stir fry and cook for 5 minutes on medium-low heat.
4. While veggies are cooking, bring a pot of water to boil. Add pad thai noodles and turn off heat, letting the noodles sit in the water for 5 minutes. Drain noodles and run through cold water.
5. Add noodles, bean sprouts, and green onion to stir fry.
6. Pour sauce into pan and cook for a few minutes on low heat. Mix well and take off heat.
7. Top with sriracha (optional), cilantro and peanuts.

Easy Vegan Peanut Pad Thai was last modified: November 7th, 2017 by themindfulstrawberry