Vegan Pad Thai Recipe

Heyyyy! I hope you're hungry, because today I'm sharing a recipe that I've been preparing and customizing over the course of several months: vegan pad Thai! I don't claim to be vegan (although I am vegetarian), but I try cook vegan for myself pretty much all the time (but I do occasionally indulge in cheese, and bake with eggs and dairy).

This is by no means an authentic pad Thai recipe, but it's soooo good; Kenny requests it regularly! It has whole grain noodles, tons of veggies, and customizable to your tastes, whether you want it spicier, want it more/less veggie-forward, or want to add meat or eggs to it. All of the ingredients are available in most regular grocery stores, and most of them can be subbed out for different ones depending on your tastes/dietary preferences or restrictions.

Vegan Pad Thai

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 8 oz. brown rice pad Thai noodles (I like Thai Kitchen brand)
• 3 tablespons cooking oil (I like to mix olive oil and sesame oil)
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 head of broccoli, chopped into small florets
• 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 10 oz. package edamame, steamed and shelled (I use the frozen microwavable kind)
• 14 oz. package extra-firm tofu (Nasoya makes a pre-pressed kind that I've been loving)

Sauce

• 3 tablespoons vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice (or rice vinegar)
• 5 tablespoons coconut aminos (or soy sauce, tamari)
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (or 1 teaspoon ground ginger)
• 2 tablespoons agave nectar (or honey, maple syrup)
• 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon sriracha (or to taste)

Directions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. 
2. Add tofu cubes to pan and sprinkle generously with salt. Sauté until golden-brown on all sides.
3. Remove tofu from pan and set aside.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 
5. Sauté onion until softened.
6. Add broccoli, carrots, and red pepper. Sauté until cooked to desired softness. (I like to put a lid on the pan so the vegetables steam themselves.)
   
   
   

   
   
7. In the meantime, cook noodles according to package directions. 
8. Remove vegetables from pan and set aside.
   
   
   
   
   
9. Steam edamame according to package directions and remove from shells.
10. Whisk together sauce ingredients in a small dish.
    
    
    
    
    
11. Transfer cooked noodles to the large pan and add the sauce. Sauté for about 2 minutes so the noodles begin to soak up the sauce. Add in the sautéed veggies, edamame, and tofu, and stir until combined. 
12. Serve with desired toppings (chopped peanuts, green onions, sriracha, lime, sesame seeds...)

* To reheat leftovers, add a splash of broth and coconut aminos to rehydrate the noodles.

Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I promise you'll be grateful it makes such a large batch! 

I hope you have something fun planned this weekend! I don't have much on the books, but I get off of work early today so I have time to do some wedding decor shopping and get a pedicure with my mom, so I'm excited for both of those. Have a great Friday!

xoxx, Laura