Pad Thai

Love pad thai? Well, now you can make it at home with ingredients you probably already have and stop spending money on take-out!

1 package of flat rice noodles (Chinese section of the grocery store)

1 lb. choice of beef, chicken, pork, shrimp

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves

2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger (in the produce section)

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons ketchup

1/2 teaspoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

1 head of brocoli, cut into florets and lightly steamed*

2 green onions, cut into one inch lengths

1 can of water chestnuts, drained and roughly chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Bring pot of salted water to a boil. In a wok or large saute pan, heat olive oil on medium high heat. Add ginger and garlic and cook for one minute. Add meat of your choice and saute until cooked through and remove from pan. Drain fat from pan, if necessary. Deglaze pan with chicken stock, scraping browned bits from the bottom, bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions and drain.

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, ketchup, fish sauce, sugar and hot sauce and add to the pan. Simmer for about 5-7 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken and the flavors to incorporate.

Add steamed brocoli, green onions, water chestnuts to the pan and toss in sauce. Add meat and noodles to the pan tossing well. Before serving, stir in the fresh cilantro.

*If you don't have a steamer, a very easy and quick way to steam vegetables is to put them in a microwave safe bowl and tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Microwave in 30 second intervals until desire doneness--about one minute and a half for very crisp, al dente, which is the way I like it.

I hope you enjoy this homemade version of pad thai! As always, leave a comment with questions or to let me know what you think!

Creamy Mushroom and Leek Pasta

This is a simple and delicious dinner that is one of my husband's favorites and I hope it becomes one of yours!

If you are not familiar with leeks, they basically look like a green onion on steroids and have a mild onion flavor. You can find them in the produce section of the grocery store.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

8 oz. carton of baby bella mushrooms

4 oz. of shitake mushrooms or other favorite variety of mushroom (can add more or less, if you want)

1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 to 2 leeks, depending on size (only one if they are especially large)

1/2 can vegetable stock or broth

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Salt, to season

Pepper, to season

1 box penne pasta

To prepare, lightly wipe mushrooms with a damp towel to remove dirt, if needed and then roughly chop. If using shitake mushrooms, remove the stem before chopping as you will not want to use that part. To prep the leeks, cut the root end off then slice the leek lengthwise down the middle. Using one half at a time, flat side down and starting with the white end, thinly slice the leek up to the light green part. Discard the dark green part. Continue until all leeks are sliced. Fill a large bowl with water and put the leeks in the water to wash, swirling the leeks with your hand, a spoon or tongs to free the leeks of dirt (there will be dirt and grit in the bottom of the bowl, so do not skip this step!!) Spread the clean leeks on a clean dish towel or paper towl and allow to dry, patting if needed.

Meanwhile, bring water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.

In large high-sided saute pan (like this P.S. this pan is super versatile, I use mine all the time), heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute garlic for one minute. Add the mushrooms and allow to cook down until browned, about 5-7 minutes. While the mushrooms are cooking, add the rosemary and season with pepper only. (Do not salt at this point at it will cause the mushrooms to release moisture.) Remove the mushrooms from the pan. Add leeks, season with salt and pepper, and allow to cook for about 3 minutes, or until almost translucent in color. Add the mushrooms back to the pan. Add the stock and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add salt and pepper, if needed.

Whisk flour into milk and add to the pan, stirring to incorporate. Bring back to simmer and allow the sauce to reduce and thicken. The sauce should be thick and creamy! Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper, if needed.

Drain the penne and add to the saute pan, folding it in to incorporate it with the sauce. Turn off the stove and top with the parmesan cheese, stirring once more and Voila!

Enjoy!

As always, leave a comment if you have a question or to let me know what you think!