Faux Phad Thai

One of the handful of dishes I make that does get Marc excited is what he calls "Phad Thai" though it really only vaguely resembles real Phad Thai. It's a great meal for Friday night if you are like me and scouring the cupboards for something to make for dinner on the day before shopping day because I tend to throw a lot of left overs in it.

Faux Phad Thai
Serves 4-6 (I make lots and we eat it for lunch for a couple days too).

Sauce:

1/2-3/4 cup almond butter
2 T peanut butter
2 T Ume Plum Vinegar*
1/2 cup Wheat-free tamari
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger
1/4-1/2 red pepper flakes
1 T sesame oil
1/2 cup of either soy, hemp or almond milk OR 1/2 cup of commercial phad thai sauce (gluten free is not easy to find though).

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth-- you may need to adjust amounts according to taste.

Phad Thai:

2 T olive oil
1 package brown rice "spaghetti"
14 oz extra firm tofu, drained and diced into small cubes
3-5 oz cooked chicken breast (optional)
16 oz vegetables (I use whatever I have on hand-- frozen stir fry veggies work well this time I used chard, asparagus, frozen artichoke hearts, corn, carrots and chard (including stems)
1/2 cup chopped almonds for garnish.

Cook noodles according to package instructions.

Saute tofu in olive oil until browned. Add diced vegetables and continue to saute until tender. Drain noodles and add veggies, tofu and top with sauce. Toss well and garnish with chopped almonds.

*Ume plum vinegar is fantastically delicious (it is kind of sour and tart -- I put it in lots of things). If you don't have it, rice vinegar will do.