Thai Peanut Noodles with Tofu – gluten and dairy free, vegan!

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Why not make something exotic for dinner like Thai style noodles? I go through phases of making this dish about once a week. But be warned, it is a major arm workout! I love a good Thai peanut sauce, but when you’re eating out, it’s a little hard to know if its gluten free (plus its more expensive).

Thai cooking is notorious for major amounts of chopping and prep-work. So, don’t get discouraged if it seems like its taking forever. Once you’ve done all the chopping, the cooking part actually goes pretty quickly. Another time-saver I discovered was a spiralizer. I have a hand-held spiralizer that I used to make zucchini and carrot noodles, then I did some quick chops to make them shorter.

Ingredients:

Sauce:

1 Tablespoon                                     Sriracha sauce

½ Cup                                                    Peanut Butter (I like Kirkland brand organic creamy style)

½ Cup                                                    Gluten Free Soy Sauce

½ Cup                                                    Water

3 Tablespoons                                   Brown Sugar

3 Tablespoons                                   Rice Vinegar (or Apple Cider Vinegar)

1 Package                                            Rice Noodles (Medium) 16 Ounces

1 Package                                            Extra Firm Tofu (the firmer the better)

2 Tablespoons                                   Virgin Coconut Oil

3 Cloves                                                Garlic – Diced

3 Tablespoons                                   Ginger – Diced

2 Large                                                 Carrots – Spiralized and cut into shorter pieces

1 Large                                                 Zucchini- Spiralized and cut into shorter pieces

(optional garnish: fresh cilantro and lime wedges)

Instructions
Soak the noodles in a large bowl, cover with hot water (let the noodles sit and soften while you are doing the rest of your prep-work and cooking)

In a separate bowl, whisk the sauce together: peanut butter, sriracha, soy sauce, water, brown sugar and vinegar. then set aside.

Heat 1 Tablespoon of coconut oil in a large non-stick skillet or wok on med-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger, stir, then add the tofu pieces. Sautee until the tofu is golden.

Add the zucchini and carrot to the pan along with 1 more Tablespoon of coconut oil. Sautee for approximately 5 minutes.

Drain the noodles and add to the pan (along with the tofu and veggies that are already in the pan). Pour the sauce over the noodles and turn up the heat to high. Stir quickly and constantly until the noodles soften and get sticky (the major arm work I was talking about). I like to use large plastic tongs to stir and move/ flip the noodles around.

Garnish with cilantro and lime juice and more sriracha if desired.

This recipe was inspired by a Racheal Ray recipe I saw a few years ago: “Pad Thai with Chicken and Shrimp.”