Pad Thai - Veggie Style

It's fun trying different Pad Thai dishes at veg restaurants, but we often find the dish to be too salty, or too sugary, or too oily. So, we decided to try concocting our own homemade version. It definitely isn't your typical Pad Thai, but we wanted to create a healthy version that we can devour often. Our son said it was his favorite meal ever!

Sauce ingredients:

• ½ cup dates
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup peanut butter
• 2 Tablespoons lime juice
• 1 ½ Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon tamarind paste

Directions:

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add a little more water if needed to create a smooth consistency.
2. Set aside until stir fry is done cooking.

Stir fry ingredients:

• 10 oz. pad thai noodles or other pasta
• 3 cups chopped veggies (i.e. carrots, broccoli, etc.)
• 10-12 oz. firm tofu (cubed)
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup chopped nuts (i.e. cashews, peanuts, or almonds)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to directions. Strain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
2. While pasta is cooking, add veggies, tofu, and water to a frying pan and cook on medium heat with the lid on for 10 minutes (or until veggies are cooked to your liking). Be sure to stir every few minutes. Add a little extra water to the frying pan, if needed, to keep veggies from sticking to the bottom.
3. Once veggies are done, add pasta and sauce to frying pan, mix together, and heat thoroughly on low/medium heat.
4. After serving, top with chopped nuts.

Yields: about 4-6 servings