Quinoa Pad Thai

I had a few skeptical critics for my new recipe…

Uh huh, thanks guys. 😉

I decided to try a pad thai-inspired dish last night. While it was pretty tasty, it was far from a simple recipe.

Quinoa Pad Thai

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa

1 cup carrots

1 onion

1 bag frozen broccoli

1 bag frozen spinach

1/4 cup jalapanos chopped

2 Tablespoons of Thai peanut sauce (any variety will do (I used Thai Kitchen)

1 Tablespoon creamy peanut butter

2 Tablespoons Sriracha (add less to decrease spice)

1 teaspoon cilantro

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon curry poweder, garlic powder, pepper, red pepper flakes

1/4 cup crushed peanuts

1 package of tofu (I used a pre-marinated peanut flavor)

1 Tablespoon sesame seeds

1 cucumber peeled and sliced

Instructions

Bring 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups of water to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Cut up carrots and onion and cook in a dollop of olive oil over medium heat for 10 minutes. (I like my carrots soft, so I microwaved them in water for 3 minutes beforehand.) Cook frozen broccoli and frozen spinach according to the bag’s directions. Drain. Add the cooked vegetables and jalapenos to cooked quinoa. Add all of the spices and seasonings to the pot. In a separate pan, cook the cutup tofu over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until hot. Add tofu to the quinoa pot. Add sesame seeds. Garnish dish with cucumber on the side. (I didn’t have a lime, but it would be a nice add on.)

This was a commitment, to say the least.

I love ordering pad Thai at restaurants, but after cooking it, I realized how much salt and unhealthy ingredients are in authentic Pad Thai. Cooking really teaches you a lot about restaurant food.

Question: What have you discovered through manipulating restaurant recipes? Has cooking turned you off to any particular dish?

Have a good one!