Zucchini Noodle Pad Thai (Vegan & Keto)

Helloooo keto pad thai. My old friend, my favorite savory, spicy dish. My love for pad thai recipes started during my study abroad program to Hong Kong back in college. I was geographically closest to Thailand than I had ever been at any point in my life, and I luckily got to try all of the most delicious, authentic Thai food that my college student savings account would allow me. Whenever I'm craving something from that hemisphere of the world, it's always pad thai.

And since I've been capital-O OBSESSED with zucchini noodles (or are they zoodles?) I decided to make a lighter version of my favorite Thai dish. Welcome home Zucchini Noodle Pad Thai, you're new to this party but you're very welcome here.My birthday is just around the corner and I'm going on an exciting weekend trip to Chicago for the first time. Every girl wants to look her absolute best on her birthday, and although I love myself and all parts of my body, these last few weeks I've been paying extra special attention to what I eat so that I could slide into my next year of life looking and feeling great.

I've been eating mostly keto these last few weeks, and trying lots of different low-carb keto recipes to get by. It's been surprisingly not too difficult! Pretty much all of the keto recipes I've tried have included some form of zoodle, which I've been able to make at home thanks to my new spiralizer (this is the one I got, it's affordable and makes zoodles in a breeze). To make this Zoodle Pad Thai recipe I combined zucchini noodles with shaved carrots, thinly sliced green peppers and lots of cilantro. This would be an amazing base for pretty much any sauce, but the peanut sauce that I used for this recipe is so, so tasty that I could eat it on its own.

It has a nice kick to it thanks to a few spoonfuls of sambal oelek, a spicy chili sauce that I can't get enough of.I added in crispy, stir fried tofu for protein and loved every single bite of this dish. It's the kind of keto dish that you could eat completely guilt free. It's also perfect for meal prepping, since it's easy to whip up on a Sunday night. This dish is very tasty and it doesn't like to wait, so there's no reason why you shouldn't get on this immediately.Recipe is below, and while you're at it check out these other healthy pasta recipes:

Vegan Mac N Cheese

INGREDIENTS

Spicy Peanut Sauce

• 1/2 cup peanut butter

• 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce

• 1/3 cup sesame oil

• 1/4 cup rice vinegar

• 2 tablespoons sambal oelek

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• a small knob of fresh ginger, peeled

• a clove of fresh garlic, peeled

Zucchini Pad Thai

• 1 pack of extra firm tofu, cubed

• 3 medium-sized zucchinis

• 2 large carrots, peeled

• 1/2 large green pepper, thinly sliced lengthwise

• 1 bunch of cilantro, leaves roughly chopped

• 3-4 green onions, sliced

• Lime, for topping

DIRECTIONS

Spicy Peanut Sauce

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until completely smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Zucchini Pad Thai

1. Make zucchini noodles out of the zucchinis using a spiralizer (no need to peel them first). Place them into a large bowl.

2. Next, use a peeler to shave the carrots down into ribbons. Place them in the bowl with the zucchini noodles, along with the green pepper. Toss together lightly.

3. Place the vegetable noodle mixture in a large wok or saucepan over low heat and stir fry lightly for a few minutes, until the vegetables soften a bit. Remove from heat and add in about 1/4 cup of the spicy peanut sauce and toss together. Mix in a handful of the cilantro and a sprinkling of the green onions. Set aside.

4. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the tofu in a single layer and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Allow the tofu to turn golden brown before flipping - I typically let mine cook in a single layer for at least 5 minutes before touching it. When ready, flip and let them cook through.

5. Add about half of the sauce to the tofu and toss together. Let them heat together for a few minutes until the mixture is brown and sticky with yumminess.

6. Add the vegetable noodles to a plate along with tofu. Top with extra cilantro, green onions, and squeeze of lime. Serve.