Pad Thai Clean-Eating Style

For dinner tonight, we tried Pad Thai.  I have to say, at first I wasn’t too impressed with it.  There are many textures and flavors to this dish.  The more I ate it, the more I enjoyed it.  I would make it again, but it’s not my favorite dish we’ve tried.  On the other hand, my husband did eat what he was served (added chicken for him….he’s a meat guy), but I think he would prefer I not make this again.  He agrees that the texture and many flavors were hard to get used to.

PAD THAI CLEAN-EATING STYLE

Serves 8

8oz rice noodles, flat
1 Tbsp canola oil
2 cloves garlic
2 cups shredded Savoy cabbage
2 thick carrots, peeled and cut into thin slices
5 egg whites, lightly beaten
3 cups bean spouts
1 cup julienned green zucchini
1 cup green onions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish
* Reserve 2 Tbsp of noodle water

For Sauce
3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar or rice vinegar
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 Tbsp reserved noodle water
2 Tbsp unsulfured molasses
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce or gluten-free tamari

Cover rice noodles with boiling water in a ceramic bowl. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes to soften noodles. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons noodle water.

In a small bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Stir in garlic, cabbage and carrot. Stir-fry for 5 minutes. Make a well in the middle of the pan and scramble the egg whites. Add noodles and sauce and cook for 5 minutes. Add bean sprouts, zucchini and green onions and cook a little longer to heat through. Remove from heat and serve. Garnish each dish with chopped cilantro.