Some exciting news: our nursery furniture came in yesterday and now it is sitting in the garage in three boxes (with a completly assembled dresser and changing table). I can't wait to actually start putting the nursery together but we need to paint, move furniture, etc before bringing in the crib. Hopefully this weekend we can at least start some of these projects...and have a better idea what color to paint the nursery after we find out if boy or girl tomorrow.
As promised here is my pad thai recipe from last night: delicious!
Pad Thai with Eggplant & Mushrooms
I love Pad Thai in restaurants but my number one complaint is that there are never enough vegetables in the dish. So since I am making this dish at Cassandra'a Kitchen I can break the rules and add whatever I want to my dishes. So here it goes:
Ingredients:
eggplant chicken or shrimp or crab meat (optional)
baby bella mushrooms one egg
fresh bean sprouts natural peanut butter
red onion lime (optional)
garlic cloves crushed peanuts (optional)
jalapeno olive oil
cilantro
rice noodles
1. Dice up the eggplant, mushrooms, jalapeno, onion, and garlic and add to a pan with olive oil to stir fry. When cutting the jalapeno keep some of the seeds but discard the rest. The heat is in the seeds so if you add too many than the dish is going to be way to spicy! (I LOVE spicy food but I discard a majority of the seeds.) Also add some chopped up cilantro to add flavor while cooking. The exact amount of vegetables is not important. I used about a handful of mushrooms, 2 slices on onion, 1/2 eggplant. 2 cloves garlic, 1 jalapeno.
note: I have not added the bean sprouts yet
2. In a pot boil water. Once water is boiling add rice noodles and remove from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes and then drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
3. While vegetables are cooking make your sauce:
Mix all ingredients together and set aside:
2/3 cup vegetable broth
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 tbsp lite soy sauce
3 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less depending on taste)
note: if you have a lime then add some fresh squeezed lime juice as well
4. Once vegetables are done cooking (eggplant no longer firm) then add your beansprouts. Push aside and add your egg. Scramble the egg and then mix in with the rest of the mixture.
note: if you are adding chicken or shrimp make sure to stir fry it in another pan to add to the mixture. I added the rest of some imitation crab meat that I had in the fridge and it does not require extra cooking.
5. Add your noodles to the mixture. (Also add your chicken or shrimp or crab at this point.) Then pour the sauce over the entire mixture and cook on medium-high for a couple minutes.
6. To thicken the sauce and add flavor I like to add a spoonful of peanut butter. Put onto the side of the pan to help melt faster and then stir into the entire pan. (When I use peanut butter I don't add chopped peanuts as a garnish.) Also add remaining cilantro to the dish.
7. Your dish is complete. Just make sure everything is heated through and the sauce has thicken a little. After all ingredients are added I cook for an additional 2-3 minutes and that's it.
8. Plate your dish. At this point you can add crushed peanuts if you like. I like to add just a touch more of cilantro for taste and as a garnish. You could also garnish with a lime slice if you had it.
Viola! This Pad Thai may not be your original Pad Thai but it is delicious and has the flavor of the Pad Thai with added vegetables.
***Spice can be a little tricky with the cayenne pepper and the jalapeno seeds but tonight I got it perfect. I didn't even have to use my saracha sauce. I don't think I liked it... ha ha!
I hope you enjoy!
I think I finally got the comments to work, so feel free to leave a comment on your favorite Thai dish or what color we should paint the nursery (our furniture is espresso in color).
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