Pad See Ew

This is far and away my kids favorite dish. It is so rare for all 3 of them to like the same thing prepared in the same way - for example, they all like apples but one of them likes her apples whole, one of them likes them peeled and chopped, and the other one likes them chopped but not peeled. And so it goes with almost everything. This is one of the few things I can just make a big pot of an all of them will devour it without a single complaint or request for alteration.

So of course I have to be the annoying one with this recipe. My kids all eat it with broccoli, but I prefer gai lan (Chinese broccoli), so I make it with broccoli for them and with gai lan for my husband and I. You can use whichever one you want.

The signature of Pad See Ew is the sweet sauce. This is achieved by using kecap manis, which is a syrupy soy sauce. I've tried to make my own by caramelizing sugar in soy sauce but it's way easier and less messy to purchase it. They have it at my regular grocery store in the ethnic foods section or you could find it at any large Asian grocery or online. Often pad see ew will have fish sauce, I just add a little vinegar for that tang. 

14-16 oz. wide rice noodles, cooked/soaked according to package directions but just shy of done
1/4 c. kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
2 Tbsp. shoyu or tamari
2 Tbsp. vegetarian stirfry sauce (any kind)
1 Tbsp. vinegar (rice or distilled white both work well for this)
2 Tbsp. canola oil (or other flavorless oil)
5-6 cloves of garlic (less if you're sensitive, but you really do need a lot)
1 onion, halved and thinly slices (I leave this out when I make it for my kids)
1 lb. extra firm tofu, cubed
1 bunch of gai lan or broccoli (broccoli cut into florets, for the gai lan, use both the leaves and the stems but separate them then chop them)

1) With any stirfry it's always best to try to prep everything before you start cooking because things cook quickly when you stirfry. To make the sauce, whisk together the kecap manis, shoyu or tamari or soy sauce, vegetarian stirfry sauce and vinegar in a small bowl and set aside. Slice your onion, cube your tofu, mince your garlic and prepare your broccoli or gai lan.

Here is what gai lan looks like.

2) Prepare the rice noodles according to the package directions, but keep them al dente because you will also stirfry them. If you can, try to time it so that the noodles finish cooking right before you're ready to add them to the wok.

3) Heat the oil in a large wok or pot over pretty high heat and add the garlic, saute until fragrant but not browning.  Add the onion, tofu, and the chopped gai lan stems if using. Continue to cook until the onions have softened a bit.

4) When the noodles are ready drain them and add them to the stirfry along with the sauce. Toss to mix well and cook for about 5 more minutes.

5) Add the greens and continue to cook until they are just barely wilted.

This makes 4-6 servings.

Cold Soba Salad

This could be as easy as just making the dressing and tossing with the noodles, but you can also add various combinations of vegetables. My favorite vegetables in this salad are thinly sliced shallots and green peas.

Soba noodles are found in the Asian section of most large grocery stores nowadays. They are traditionally made with buckwheat flour, but I've noticed a lot of the brands have part buckwheat flour and part wheat flour. If you can find 100% buckwheat flour soba noodles you should give them a try if you like sea vegetables because they do taste a little like wakame and have an interesting almost slimy texture. The ones that include wheat flour are more mild and grainy.

8 oz. dry soba noodles, cooked according to package directions
1/4 c. seasoned or brown rice vinegar
1/4 c. natural peanut butter
1 Tbsp. (overflowing) shoyu, tamari or low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp. (or more) sriracha (found in the Asian section of most grocery stores, it's a lovely Asian hot sauce)
Small drizzle each of toasted sesame oil and pure maple syrup
About 1 tsp. fresh grated ginger (optional but really good)
1 thinly sliced shallot or red onion
1/2 c. green peas, thawed by running under hot water in a strainer (if using frozen)

1) Cook the soba noodles according to package directions, drain in a colander and rinse with cold water until the pasta is completely cooled.

2) As the noodles cook, whisk together everything but the vegetables in a large bowl.

3) When the noodles are finished cooking and have been rinsed under cold water add them, along with the peas and shallots, to the dressing and toss to coat.

Eat immediately or chill first. This makes 4-6 servings, depending on how hungry everyone is and what else you're eating.

Pad Thai

As I said earlier in my Pad Kee Mow recipe, Thai food is my favorite. I will go to any length to enable myself to make good Thai food. There is a secret to making great tasting Thai food at home. The secret is to seek out authentic ingredients rather than trying to create shortcuts by using ingredients like ketchup. It will never taste right unless you take the time to find the right ingredients.

For Pad Thai, tamarind paste is what you need to try to find. It's a thick, tangy dark paste made from...tamarind. There are several places you can look to find it. Your best bet is to go to an ethnic grocery store (Asian, Middle Eastern, African, Mexican) if you live near one. You may also be able to find it in one of the various ethnic sections of your local grocery store (ours used to carry it but now they don't). If all else fails, and you really love Thai food, you can order it online. It's not expensive.

Note: Sometimes tamarind comes in a brick form and if that is all you can find it's fine to use that, but make the sauce in a blender instead if you have a brick of tamarind (or in a sauce pan and melt it over low heat). Also note: you can make the sauce saltier with more shoyu or tamari, tangier with more vinegar or tamarind, sweeter with more sugar, or richer with more peanut butter, but you really should add the lime and Asian hot sauce at the end.

I use peanut butter in my sauce even though Pad Thai normally has crushed peanuts in it. I don't like to use crushed peanuts because they get soggy in the left overs. If you'd rather use peanuts, go right ahead.

For the Sauce
3 Tbsp. shoyu, tamari or light soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar (I don't usually like to use sugar, but you need it for this sauce, this amount is greatly reduced from most Pad Thai recipes)
2 Tbsp. distilled white or rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
3 Tbsp. natural peanut butter
2-3 Tbsp. tamarind paste (there is no substitute for this)
1 Tbsp. paprika (not smoked)

For the Stirfry
2-3 Tbsp. canola or peanut oil
1 lb. firm or extra firm tofu, cubed into 1/2" (1 cm.) squares
1 large white onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
5 cloves of garlic, minced (yes, 5)
8 oz. mushrooms (crimini/baby bella or button), sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1/2 c. cilantro leaves
10-14 oz. rice stick noodles, the thickest ones you can find
Lime wedges and Sriracha hot sauce to garnish

1) Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, turn the heat off and place the rice noodles into the water. Give the noodles a stir and then let them soak according to the package directions. This is usually somewhere between 7-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the noodles you are using. Err on the undercooked side because you're also going to stirfry them. It's an art, really, if you over soak them they will fall apart but if you under soak them they will be crunchy in places...do it for just the right amount of time.

2) As the water comes to a boil mix the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl, making sure to dissolve the sugar, tamarind and peanut butter, and set aside.

3) As the water comes to a boil and the noodles soak, prepare all of your stirfry ingredients and have them ready to go. Heat the oil in a large wok or your largest pot over high heat and then add the tofu (if the heat isn't high enough the tofu will stick to the pan). Let the tofu sit and fry while you finish chopping the vegetables.

4) After about 5 minutes the tofu should be browning. Give it a toss and then add the onions and toss to combine. Let the onions cook with the tofu for another 3 minutes until the onions begin to soften.

5) When the onions are just softened add the garlic and toss to combine. Cook for 1 minute and then add the mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes. Right now would be the perfect time for the noodles to be done, but if they still need time turn off the heat on your stir fry until the noodles have finished soaking.  Once the noodles are done you can turn the heat back on the wok as you drain the noodles.

6) Once the noodles have been drained and the mushrooms are softened a bit, add the noodles to the wok. Pour the sauce over the noodles and add the peppers. Toss to coat all of the noodles with the sauce and continue to stirfry for about 5 more minutes.

7) Remove from the heat, add the cilantro and toss to combine.

This makes about 4 servings (or more if you have a light appetite and are serving other items) and should be served with fresh lime wedges and Sriracha hot chili sauce.

Pasta Salad

I like to have things like this around to pack in lunches or have for little snacks. Add whatever vegetables you and your family like - tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, olives, artichoke hearts, thinly sliced carrots, mushrooms, roasted bell peppers, beans, cooked lentils, sunflower seeds, fresh parsley sun dried tomatoes...you get the picture.

!Warning: This is delicious.

1 lb. spiral pasta shapes (I like the tri-colored ones)
1 recipe Simple Vinaigrette (with a little vegan pesto stirred in, if desired)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced (or 1 shallot)
1 c. broccoli, cut into very small pieces (or cauliflower)
 1/4 c. toasted pine nuts
1/2 c. sliced kalamata olives
2 Tbsp. minced fresh basil

1) Cook the pasta according to package directions.

2) As the pasta cooks make the vinagrette in a small bowl, and chop the vegetables and place them in a large bowl.

3) When the pasta is done drain it and rinse with cold water.

4) Toss the pasta and vinagrette with the vegetables in a large bowl and chill for about 1 hour before serving.

This makes about 6-8 servings (depending on how much you eat in one serving).

Spaghetti Hot Dish

This is a recipe that I originally found when I was logging out of my hotmail account and saw an article titled something like, "10 Simple Pasta Dishes." Since finding the original recipe I've veganized it and adapted it so much that I think it's safe to call it my own. The original recipe was called, "Spaghetti il Forno" or something fancy like that, but here in Minnesota we call it "Hot Dish." It bakes in a 2 quart baking dish using 1/2 pound of pasta (that's 8 oz.), so if you cut it into 4 square pieces it looks like you're eating a HUGE piece of Spaghetti Hot Dish, but really it's only 2 oz. of pasta with tons of vegetables. It would be very easy to double the recipe and use a whole pound of pasta and a larger baking dish if you wanted to make this for more people.

2-3 Tsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus more to drizzle
1 yellow or white onion, minced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 stalk celery, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, optional
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar (optional)
2 Tbsp. chopped flat leaf parsley
2 Tbsp. minced fresh basil
1/2 pound whole wheat spaghetti (8 oz.)
About 3/4 c. whole wheat, plain, panko or Italian seasoned bread crumbs
Another 1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1) For the sauce, heat the oil in a sauce pan and then add the onion, garlic, celery and carrot. Saute until very tender, 12-15 minutes.

2) Add the tomatoes, salt & pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano, vinegar, parsley and basil. Simmer, partially covered, for 30-40 minutes stirring occasionally.

3) When the sauce is almost done, preheat the oven to 450 degrees, lightly grease a 2 quart baking dish with some olive oil, and cook the pasta according to the package directions (but shave 2-3 minutes off of the cooking time so that it is very al dente).

4) When the pasta is done cooking drain it very well and add it into the pan with the sauce and stir until mixed very well.

5) Transfer the pasta into the baking dish and press down. Sprinkle about 3/4 c. bread crumbs over the top (don't bother to measure out the bread crumbs, just give it a nice coating), sprinkle a little dried oregano over the bread crumbs and then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

I used panko bread crumbs.

6) Bake, uncovered, at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Allow it to cool and set for a few minutes when it is done baking and then slice into 4 pieces and use a spatula to serve.

This makes 4 servings.

Thai Spaghetti

I am so excited about this recipe. It's one of those things where I had a lot of tomatoes and Thai basil from the garden and needed to figure out something to do with it all. So I thought I'd give a Thai spaghetti sauce a try and it turned out unbelievably good. The trick is to use a lot of garlic (crushed, not minced) and a lot of Thai basil.

3 lbs. tomatoes, any kind
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic, crushed with a garlic press
1 white or yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 thai red chile, minced or 1/4-1/2 tsp. crushed red chili flakes
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. shoyu, tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp. more of sea salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper (or black)
1 bunch Thai basil (about 4 large sprigs or 1/3 c.), roughly chopped or torn

This time I had marglobe and green zebra tomatoes.

1) To prepare the tomatoes, remove the cores, chop them roughly and puree them in a blender. If you really want to you can take the time to remove the skins but I wouldn't bother. Set the pureed tomatoes aside.

2) In a large pot preheat the oil and add the garlic and Thai chile and let them saute for about 1 minute. Add the onion and 1/2 tsp. sea salt and saute until the onion is softened, about 4 more minutes.

3) Add the tomato paste and shoyu and stir around to dissolve the tomato paste.

4) Add all of the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and reduce to a low boil (a little more than a simmer) and let it bubble for 40 minutes or up to 1 hour, depending on how thick you want your sauce to be. Stir the sauce occasionally to prevent burning.

Use the sauce over angel hair pasta, spaghetti, linguini or udon noodles. This makes enough sauce for 1 lb. of pasta, about 2 1/2 to 3 cups.

Pad Kee Mow (Drunken Noodles)

If I could eat the daily diet of any other culture I would choose Thai. We traveled there in 2001 to visit some of our closest friends and I must have gained 10 pounds eating my way through Thailand. My favorite Thai dish is Pad Kee Mow and I judge every Thai restaurant by the quality of this dish. Tragically, there are no Thai Restaurants in Mankato. The closest good Thai restaurant is  Senyai-Senlek  ( http://www.senyai-senlek.com/ ) in Minneapolis, but it takes us 90 minutes to get there and sometimes a girl needs some pad kee mow right now.

I've tried dozens of pad kee mow recipes and finally adapted them all into what I deem an almost perfect dish. I can't claim it measures up perfectly to what you can get in Thailand, but if you aren't going to Bangkok anytime soon you can just make this. I love this dish so much that I grow Thai basil and Thai chiles for it in the summer, but they are now pretty common in most large grocery stores as well.

Things start to go quickly once you begin the stir fry, so it helps to have everything ready and in place before you start.

Sauce: 
4 Tbsp. light soy sauce or tamari
4 Tbsp. mushroom flavored soy sauce
1 Tbsp. vegetable boullion base
1 scant Tbsp. sugar

Stirfry:
1/4 c. canola oil
1 lb. extra firm tofu, cut into cubes
1 lb. rice stick noodles, the thickest ones you can find
1 shallot, finely minced
6 cloves garlic, finely minced
1-4 Thai red chiles, finely minced (or 1-2 Tbsp. chile garlic paste if you can't find Thai chilis)
1 white onion, halved and sliced thinly lengthwise
1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 green bell pepper, roughly chopped
About 10 crimini or button mushrooms, quartered
1/4 c. Thai basil leaves (or regular basil if you can't find Thai)
10-15 cherry tomatoes, halved

1) Mix together the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl making sure to dissolve the sugar and set aside.

2) Heat a large pot of water on the stove and prepare the rice stick noodles according to the package directions. Try to time it so that the noodles get done almost just before you're ready to add them to the stir fry or they will stick together as they wait to be added.  One option is to start the stir fry as you bring the water to a boil and then turn it off once everything is ready and turn it back on when the noodles are ready to be added.

3) In a wok heat the oil over high heat and fry the tofu in two batches until lightly browned on two opposing sides, about 5-7 minutes per side. Place the tofu on a plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess oil and set aside. This is something you could do ahead of time and either keep it warm or reheat it when you are ready to use it.

4) In the same oil, over medium-high heat add the shallots, garlic and chiles or chile paste and saute for about 3 minutes. Add the onion and saute for about 3 minutes more. Add the peppers and mushrooms and saute for about 3 minutes more.

5) When the noodles are done drain them and add them to the stir fry along with the fried tofu, the cherry tomatoes and the sauce. Toss to coat and stir fry for another few minutes.

6) Turn off the heat and add the Thai basil leaves and toss once more to distribute the basil.

This serves about 6 unless I'm there, then it only serves 4.

Cold Asian Noodle Salad

For lunch today we had a cold Asian noodle salad made with udon noodles. You could use soba noodles or any long, thin noodle. It was the perfect summer lunch, fresh and savory, and even my 3 picky daughters loved it. You can use any vegetables from your garden or the farmer's market - red bell peppers, sliced shallots and hot peppers are all good. I used carrots, snap peas and cilantro this time.

8-10 oz. udon or soba noodles, cooked according to package directions
1/4 c. natural peanut butter, creamy or chunky
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
Juice of 1 juicy lime, about 3 Tbsp.
1 1/2 Tbsp. shoyu (naturally brewed soy sauce) or tamari
1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
1-3 tsp. Sriracha hot sauce or garlic chili paste (both are Asian hot sauces found in the ethnic section of most grocery stores). You can use as much or as little as you like.
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 c. vegetables of choice such as: grated carrots, slivered snap peas, minced cilantro, slivered bell pepper, etc.

1) Cook the pasta according to the package directions. When it is finished cooking strain and rinse with cold water.

2) As the water comes up to a boil and then the pasta cooks, place all of the dressing ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together until the peanut butter is dissolved and prepare your vegetables.

3) When the noodles have been cooked, rinsed until they are cold, and drained thoroughly toss them in the bowl with the sauce. Add the vegetables and toss a bit more to distribute.