The BEST EVER Vegan Pad Thai

My fiancé is a huge fan of Pad Thai, but hasn't been able to find one that he likes since becoming vegetarian. Over the weekend, I made my favorite vegan Pad Thai recipe for him. I was intimidated to make it because we live in the heart of "Thai Town" with arguably the best Thai restaurants in LA within walking distance of our apartment. Needless to say, I was up against some stiff competition. However, I've been perfecting this recipe over the years, so I decided to give it a go! After just one taste he was hooked! He even mentioned, "that it was the best Pad Thai of all time!" With his blessing, I can't wait to share it with you!

INGREDIENTS:

NOODLES:

• 1- 8oz package of pad thai rice noodles

TOFU:

• 1- 12oz package of extra firm tofu (press excess liquids out & cubed)
• 1 Tbsp low sodium tamari
• 1 tsp chili garlic sauce
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric

SAUCE:

• 2 ½ Tbsp peanut butter (or substitute with almond butter or cashew butter)
• 3 Tbsp lime juice
• 3 ½ Tbsp low sodium tamari
• 1 tsp chili garlic sauce
• 1 ½ Tbsp maple syrup

VEGGIES:

• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced (remove seeds if you’d like less heat)
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• ¼ head of red cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp low sodium tamari
• 3 large carrots, thinly sliced or ribboned with a veggie peeler
• ½ tsp freshly grated ginger (or substitute with ¼ tsp ground ginger seasoning)
• ¼ tps ground turmeric

TO SERVE:

• Fresh Cilantro
• Crushed Peanuts (or substitute with cashews)
• ¼ Lime

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare tofu mixture by adding tofu, tamari, chili garlic sauce, and turmeric to a bowl and let marinade.
2. While tofu marinades, prepare sauce by combining peanut butter, lime juice, low sodium tamari, chili garlic sauce and maple syrup into a small food processor. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. (If you don’t have a food processor, you can whisk together the ingredients in a bowl.)
3. Next, start preparing the veggies by adding sesame oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the jalapeno, green onions, cabbage, bell pepper and low sodium tamari. Toss in pan for about 3  minutes.
4. In a separate section of the pan, add in your cubed tofu and fry until it starts to brown. This should take about 3-5 minutes. (Make sure to flip the tofu to cook evenly and prevent it from burning on one side.)
5. Once tofu has started to brown, add in the carrot ribbons, garlic, and ginger and cook for an additional minute or so, then turn heat to low and cover with lid.
6. Now start preparing your pad thai noodles. Bring water to a boil in a large pot and follow package instructions to boil noodles. Drain water and add noodles to skillet with veggies.
7. Toss noodles, veggies, tofu, and sauce together in the pan until evenly covered.
8. Serve in two bowls topping the pad thai with fresh cilantro, chopped peanuts and a squeeze of lime.
9. Enjoy!