Spicy Lentil Wraps

After a brief reprieve, Spring has returned to Chicago! We've been eating dinner pretty late these days because the weather has been so nice we've been taking advantage of it and running before we make dinner. It certainly makes for a later night, but after a (mild) Chicago weather, we have to enjoy these nice days while we can!

I saw this recipe over on thekitchn and figured it would be a good use of the rest of our lentils. This was not a quick dinner, but it was totally worth the effort to make the red pepper paste and tahini sauce yourself. I recommend making the red pepper paste the night before, it took the full two hours to cook.


Spicy Lentil Wraps with Tahini Sauce
1/2 c red lentils, rinsed
2 c water
3/4 c fine grain bulgur
2 T olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 t ground cumin
1 t red pepper flakes
1 scallion, chopped
2 T chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 t kosher salt
6 (approximately 9x12-inch) sheets lavash, white or whole wheat
3/4 c red pepper paste (recipe below)
2 cups shredded cabbage
Tahini sauce to serve (recipe below)

Combine lentils and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 20 minutes.

Turn off heat and stir in bulgur. Let stand until water is absorbed and bulgur is soft, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent. Stir in cumin and red pepper flakes and cook for another minute.

Add onions, scallions, parsley, and salt to lentil-bulgur mixture and stir until well combined. Let cool before using to make wraps. (If you want a smoother texture closer to the Trader Joe's version, you can run the filling through a food processor, but I like it just as it is.) You can freeze the filling in an airtight container if not using all at once.

To assemble, lay out a lavash sheet with the shorter end closest to you. Spread 1 1/2 tablespoons of red pepper paste across the lower 1/3 of the sheet. Top with the lentil-bulgur mixture, and then the cabbage. Roll from the bottom up, and spread an additional 1/2 tablespoon of red pepper paste across the top end to help seal the wrap. Repeat for remaining wraps.

To serve, cut each wrap in half and serve with tahini sauce on the side.

Red Pepper Paste
6 red bell peppers, cored and chopped
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1 t kosher salt
Olive oil to cover (if refrigerating)

Combine bell peppers, cayenne pepper, and salt in a food processor and puree.

Pour the puree into a skillet over low heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced to a paste. This can take up to 2 hours.

Let cool before using. To store, pack the paste into a jar, pour enough olive oil on top to cover, and refrigerate.

Tahini Sauce
1/4 c tahini
2/3 c or more warm water
2 t lemon juice
2 t finely chopped parsley
1 glove garlic, crushed
1/8 t red pepper flakes
1/8 t kosher salt

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and mix with a fork until well combined. Gradually stir in small amounts of additional warm water until the desired consistency is achieved.

Noodles with Peanut Sauce

While perusing my latest issue of Runner's World last week (yes, I'm trying to be a runner again), I came across this recipe and couldn't pass it by. Noodles, peanuts, and a quick dinner, what more can you ask for?

Noodles with Peanut Sauce
6 T reduced sodium soy sauce
2 T sesame oil
1 T unsweetened peanut butter
4 T rice vinegar
1 T grated fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
10 ounces soba noodles (we used rice noodles instead)
5 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 c toasted sesame seeds
1/4 c chopped unsalted peanuts
1/4 c fresh cilantro leaves

In a large, shallow bowl, whisk the soy sauce, sesame oil, peanut butter, vinegar, 2 tablespoons water, ginger, and garlic.

In a pot, boil 3 quarts of water. Cook noodles according to package directions.

If using soba noodles, drain in a colander; run hot water over the noodles until the water runs clear. (If the noodles aren't washed, they'll be starchy and sticky.) Drain thoroughly again.

Add noodles to the sauce and toss to coat evenly. Add scallions; toss again. Garnish with sesame seeds, peanuts, and cilantro.


We couldn't find soba noodles at the store, but I think the rice noodles were a good substitution. I'd be curious to see if the taste changes very much if we used soba instead. I think next time I will increase the peanut butter in the sauce. Maybe 2 tablespoons? I just wouldn't mind it a little more peanut buttery.

Ethiopian Cabbage

One of the best things about living in a big city is the almost limitless availability of good food. We have amazing restaurants all over the place. We also have the opportunity to try almost any cuisine imaginable. One of our friends introduced us to Ethiopian Diamond several years ago and we love it! Here is our attempt at Ethiopian food at home. We served this dish over rice, but I definitely think it would've been better over the traditional injera.  Maybe next time!


Ethiopian Cabbage (adapted from recipe here)
3 T olive oil
4 carrots, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 t sea salt
1 t freshly ground black pepper
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t ground turmeric
1/2 head cabbage, shredded
5 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 c chicken broth

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook the carrots and onion in the hot oil about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric, and cabbage and cook another 15 to 20 minutes. Add the potatoes; cover. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until potatoes are soft, 20 to 30 minutes.

Red Lentil Curry

This weather is killing me!  In the absolute best way possible. If it gets cold and snows again, I may just cry!

I washed and put away my long, down coat last weekend. Stupid? Maybe. I'm going to think of it as optimistic instead. We went for a run tonight before dinner, I think half-marathon training has officially begun! By the time we got to the lake (approx 1.3 miles away), the temperature had dropped about 20 degrees and there was a fog rising off the water. What weird weather!  It's supposed to be back into the 70s tomorrow though, so you'll hear no complaints from me.

Red Lentil Curry (adapted from recipe found here)
2 c red lentils
1 large onion, diced
1 T vegetable oil
2 T curry paste
1 T curry powder
1 t ground turmeric
1 t ground cumin
1 t chili powder
1 t salt
1 t white sugar
1 t minced garlic
1 t ginger root, minced
1 (14.25 ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes, blended to a puree
Cilantro
Basmati rice

Wash the lentils in cold water until the water runs clear (this is very important or the lentils will get "scummy"), put the lentils in a pot with water to cover and simmer covered until lentils tender (add more water if necessary), about 15-20 minutes.

While the lentils are cooking, in a large skillet or saucepan, caramelize the onions in vegetable oil. Meanwhile, combine the curry paste, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, salt, sugar, garlic, and ginger in a mixing bowl. Mix well. When the onions are cooked, add the curry mixture to the onions and cook over a high heat stirring constantly for 1 to 2 minutes.

Stir in the tomato puree and reduce heat, allow the curry base to simmer until the lentils are ready. When the lentils are tender, drain them briefly (they should have absorbed most of the water but you don't want the curry to be too sloppy). Mix the curry base into the lentils, top with cilantro, and serve.

We served this curry over basmati rice (cook according to package directions).

Vegetable Couscous

What a beautiful day we had in Chicago! We decided to go for a run before dinner and this meal was so quick and easy to throw together afterward. I chopped the vegetables before we left and then just had to cook it all when we got home. This dish calls for a ton of vegetables, a whole rainbow of them! Doesn't it just make you feel healthy to see all that color in your dinner? I'd say this meal took about 30 minutes or so in all. This recipe made two healthy dinner portions and we had enough leftover for at least two days of lunches.

Vegetable Couscous (adapted from recipe found here)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 zucchini, coarsely chopped
1 yellow squash, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 c sliced baby portabella mushrooms
4 c vegetable broth
1 t paprika
1/2 t ground cardamom
1/4 t salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 (16 ounce) can chickpeas, drained
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
2 cups dry couscous
Grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in large pot over medium-low heat. Place onion, zucchini, yellow squash, and carrot in pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to soften and turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the red and yellow peppers and mushrooms; cook another 3 minutes. Vegetables should still be firm.

Pour in the vegetable stock and season with paprika, cardamom, salt, pepper, and cilantro. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat to low. Stir in chickpeas and tomatoes. Pour in the couscous; stir. Cover pot immediately and remove from the heat. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork. The couscous should have absorbed about half the cooking liquid.

Garnish with the Parmesan and more cilantro.

Black Bean, Sweet Potato, and Quinoa Chili

We've been having some amazing, Spring weather here in Chicago.   And fortunately, the forecast for the next seven days looks like more of the same!  Yay!

I planned to make this recipe from the Kitchn when we were still feeling the cold chill of winter, but will probably start lightening up our meals for the Spring and Summer.


Black Bean, Sweet Potato, and Quinoa Chili
Adapted from Bon Appétit

1 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 T chili powder
1 T ground coriander
1 14.5-oz can fire-roasted tomatoes
1/2 lb dried black beans, rinsed well
3 chipotle chiles from canned chipotle chiles in adobo, minced
1 t dried oregano
2 t kosher salt + more to taste
3 c sweet potatoes (2 medium), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 c quinoa, rinsed and drained
sour cream
green onions, chopped
fresh cilantro, chopped
shredded cheddar cheese

Heat the oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and beginning to brown, 6-7 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, and coriander and stir. Cook together for 1 minute.

Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, beans*, chipotle pepper, and oregano. Add 5 cups of water and bring to a boil (I subbed in about 2 cups of chicken broth). Reduce heat to low, cover with lid slightly ajar and simmer until beans are flavorful and tender, anywhere from 2 - 4 hours (depending on the age of your beans).

After 1 1/2 hours of cooking, add the sweet potatoes, quinoa, and salt. Place the pot's lid back on slightly ajar and allow to simmer on low heat until the beans are soft and the sweet potatoes and quinoa are cooked through. Add more water if the chili becomes too thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with sour cream, cilantro, cheese and green onion.

*For better results, quick-soak the beans prior to adding to the chili. To quick soak the beans, place the beans in a saucepan, cover with water, bring to a boil, turn off the heat, and let soak, covered, for 1-2 hours.

I threw in about 1/3 c of butternut squash that I had leftover too. This was a little more soup-like than traditional chili, but it was very hearty and filling. I think I'm going to try it with the original bulgur next time. I usually prefer that to quinoa.

Thai Butternut Squash Soup

Sorry for the lack of posts recently, but this weekend was super busy! But I'm back with what I hope will be delicious recipes this week and some special St. Patrick's Day fare this weekend!

I made this soup last week, it was really tasty. I got the recipe out of the Moosewood Restaurant's Simple Suppers cookbook. This cookbook is fantastic for weeknight meals, and especially great for our current vegetarian diet.

Thai Butternut Squash Soup (adapted from Moosewood recipe)
1 c coconut milk
1/2 t Thai red curry paste (I used Thai Kitchen brand)
4 t sugar
1/2 t salt
2 c chicken broth
3 c cooked butternut squash
1 lime
2 c fresh baby spinach
Sriracha
Chopped fresh cilantro

Pan-fried Tofu
8 oz firm tofu
1 T soy sauce
1/2 t Thai red curry paste
1 t vegetable oil

In a soup pot, whisk together coconut milk, curry paste, sugar, salt, and broth. Add the squash, cover, and bring to a simmer. Cook, covered until the squash is warmed through, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the tofu*. Cut the tofu into small cubes and put them in a bowl. Toss with soy sauce and curry paste. Heat the oil in a small skillet on medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the tofu and cook, stirring occassionally, for about 5 minutes. Set aside

Lightly grate the lime peel and juice the lime. Add 1 teaspoon of the zest and 2 tablespoons of the juice to the simmering soup. Stir in the spinach and tofu and cook just until the spinach wilts. Add more sugar, salt,and Sriracha to taste. Garnish with cilantro.

This soup was really thick, I think next time I would add and additional 1-2 cups of broth. And while the tofu smelled delicious while I was cooking it, it didn't add a lot to the taste. Next time I'm going to try it with shrimp instead.


*Press the tofu prior to cutting for crispier results.

The original recipe calls for frozen winter squash, but I roasted a fresh butternut squash myself. To roast: cut the squash in half, length-wise, remove pulp and seeds. Place facedown on a baking sheet and roast in a pre-heated oven for about 45 minutes at 375, or until soft. Once cooled, scoop out the cooked squash and set aside.

Black Bean Tortilla Pie

We've made this recipe a few times.  It one of our favorites from Martha Stewart's Good Food Fast cookbook.  As is, the recipe is a little bland, but I think we've made adjustments that up the flavor and make it really delicious.  The toppings are all optional, but I think they really amp up the dish.

Black Bean Tortilla Pie
(adapted from Martha's recipe here)

4 flour tortillas (10 inches)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large onion, diced
1 jalapeno chile, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t cayenne pepper
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, drained and rinsed
12 ounces beer
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn
4 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (2 1/2 cups)
Sour Cream
Cilantro
Avocado
Tomatoes

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Trim tortillas to fit a 9-inch spring form pan. Use the bottom of the pan as a guide. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno, garlic, cumin, and cayenne; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add beans and beer, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-high; simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 15 minutes. Stir in corn and scallions, and remove from heat.

Fit a trimmed tortilla in bottom of spring form pan; layer with 1/4 of the beans and 1/2 cup of cheese. Repeat three times, using 1 cup cheese on top layer. Bake until cheese melts, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove side of pan; sprinkle pie with scallions. Top with avocado, cilantro, chopped tomatoes, and sour cream.

Sushi Salad

I love sushi, but I'll admit I'm a little nervous to try my hand at it at home.  I saw this recipe on a blog I read (shutterbean.com) and it just looked too good to pass up.  This salad has all the wonderful flavors of a sushi dinner, without dealing with the scary raw fish.  It also is an incredibly filling salad with both the rice and edamame. And let me tell you, this miso-green onion vinaigrette is killer!!!

Sushi Salad
3/4 cup dry brown rice, cooked and cooled
1 cup shelled frozen edamame, thawed
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp agave nectar
8 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
1 small cucumber, cut into small pieces
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 cup green onions, sliced
4 teaspoons sesame seeds
2 sheets nori, chiffonaded
1 avocado, chopped
1 recipe Green Onion-Miso Vinaigrette (recipe below)
Sriracha
Wasabi

In a small bowl, mix the edamame, rice vinegar and agave together, set aside.

Place the lettuce in a bowl and drizzle a spoonful of dressing on top, toss. Add rice, cucumber, carrots, green onions, sesame seeds, nori, and avocado to the lettuce and drizzle more green onion miso dressing on top. Top with a bit of sriracha and wasabi and dig in!

Green Onion-Miso Vinaigrette
1/4 cup red miso
1 cup roughly chopped green onions
3 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp minced ginger
1 clove garlic
2 tsp agave nectar
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup water

Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth (you can easily use a hand blender, which is what I did). Chill until ready to use.

This made enough for 2 large dinner salads with plenty left over for lunch the next day!

Thai Veggie Pizza

I spent the last couple of days out of town for work and ate out for every meal. I was really looking forward to a dinner at home when I got back. My husband picked out the ingredients for a new pizza to try. We've made a Thai chicken pizza several times that is awesome, this vegetarian version was a great way to change it up.

Thai Veggie Pizza
1 pizza crust
1/2 c cream cheese, softened
1/4 c smooth peanut butter
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 T fresh ginger, minced
2 T Thai chile garlic sauce or to taste
2 T chives, chopped
Juice of 1 lime, divided
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 c shredded cheese
1/2 jalapeño, minced
1 carrot, shredded
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and sliced
Handful cilantro, chopped
1/4 c roasted peanuts, chopped
1/2 c bean sprouts
1/2 avocado, sliced

Pre-heat oven to 500.

We have a pizza crust recipe that we love (I will share it next time), but for a quick weeknight meal, we like to use the refrigerated crusts from Trader Joe's. Use your favorite pizza crust for this recipe.

Roll out pizza dough into 12 inch circle. Poke with fork to prevent bubbles when baking. Pre-bake crust at 500 degrees for four minutes. In a small bowl combine cream cheese, peanut butter, garlic, ginger, Thai chile sauce, chives, and juice of 1/2 the lime. Once pizza is out of the oven, cover with the cream cheese, peanut butter mixture. Top with red peppers, jalapeño, and shredded cheese. Bake for an additional 6 minutes. When the pizza comes out of the oven, top with carrots, cucumber, cilantro, bean sprouts, peanuts, and avocado. Slice and enjoy!

This pizza will definitely make it into our pizza rotation! It was awesome!

For my birthday this year, my husband got me a kit to make our own wine. He has been making beer with his buddy for a few years now, but this is our first foray into wine making. Last night we bottled thirty bottles of the homemade wine. We have to wait at least one month to try it. It's going to be a long month!

Quesadillas

Mexican food is so easy to do vegetarian, I have a feeling that we'll be having it a lot in the next couple of weeks. My husband has a quesadilla maker that he inherited at some point in college, so quesadillas are a go to easy dinner for us.

Black Bean Quesadillas
1/2 white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 jalapeño, diced
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 lb frozen corn
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1 t ground cumin
Hot sauce
2 green onions, chopped
2 T cilantro, chopped
Shredded cheese
Flour tortillas
Sour cream
Avocado

Sauté the onion, garlic, and jalapeño in a little bit of vegetable oil over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes. Add the black beans, corn, tomato, cumin, and hot sauce to taste. Cook over medium heat until warmed through, about 10 minutes. Stir in green onions and cilantro.

Fill tortillas with 1/2 c of the black bean filling and 1/4 c shredded cheese. Cook in quesadilla maker or skillet until browned and crispy. Top with sour cream and avocado.

Pesto Gnocchi

I love Italian food, especially pasta. Usually I just buy dried pasta when making it at home, but I had a Sunday free and thought I'd try something different. I used Mario Battali's gnocchi recipe as a base. The pesto sauce is actually one we made at the end of the summer with our remaining basil. This is the last of it from the freezer. Pesto freezes wonderfully!

Gnocchi
3 pounds russet potatoes (I used Yukon Gold, because it's what I had)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, extra large
1 pinch salt

Boil the whole potatoes until they are soft (about 45 minutes). While still warm, peel and pass through vegetable mill onto clean pasta board - I don't have a vegetable mill, so I just mashed them with a fork to get rid of lumps.

Set 6 quarts of water to boil in a large spaghetti pot. Set up ice bath with 6 cups ice and 6 cups water near boiling water.

Make well in center of potatoes and sprinkle all over with flour, using all the flour. Place egg and salt in center of well and using a fork, stir into flour and potatoes, just like making normal pasta. Once egg is mixed in, bring dough together, kneading gently until a ball is formed. Knead gently another 4 minutes until ball is dry to touch. I attempted to do this on a cutting board, but my cutting board was not big enough, so next time I'll just do it directly on a clean counter top.

Roll a baseball-size ball of dough into 3/4-inch diameter dowels and cut dowels into 1-inch long pieces. Flick pieces off of fork until dowel is finished. Drop these pieces into boiling water and cook until they float (about 1 minute). Meanwhile, continue with remaining dough, forming dowels, cutting into 1-inch pieces and flicking off of fork. As gnocchi float to top of boiling water, remove them to ice bath. Continue until all have been cooled off. Let sit several minutes in bath and drain from ice and water. Toss with pasta sauce of choice.

Pesto
I don't remember which pesto recipe we used, since this has been the freezer for a bit.  Next time I make fresh pesto, I'll be sure to post the recipe.

This was delicious!  I think I made the gnocchi a little too big, so next time I will make smaller gnocchi. I also think that it would be better to let the gnocchi stay in the boiling water for a few extra seconds once they start to float, I think they were just a tad under cooked.

This made a ton, so I took the extras that we didn't eat and froze them on a cookie sheet for about 15 minutes and then stuck them in a Ziploc bag for a future, easy meal.

Veggie Casserole

I didn't plan ahead very well this week for our vegetarian dining, so this afternoon I was kind of stuck for what to eat for lunch. Time to get creative! I had a big bag of frozen mixed vegetables in the freezer that I was never quite sure what to do with. I decided to experiment with a vegetable casserole.

Vegetable Casserole
1 lb frozen mixed vegetables
1/2 c quinoa
1/2 c brown rice
1 white onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 jalapeño, diced
1 c plain nonfat yogurt
2 t Fox Point seasoning
1 t Buttermilk Ranch seasoning
Salt
Pepper
Bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350. Cook brown rice and quinoa according to package directions. Sauté onions, celery, and jalapeño in a little olive oil for 5-7 minutes over medium heat, season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook frozen vegetables according to package directions, drain. Mix together yogurt and seasoning, set aside. Once quinoa and rice are cooked, mix with vegetables and yogurt sauce and spread in a large baking pan. Top with breadcrumbs and about a tablespoon of butter. Bake for 30 minutes.

Not bad for an impromptu lunch. The Fox Point and Buttermilk Ranch seasonings are from our Penzeys Spices collection that my sister and brother-in-law gave to us. Highly recommended! I think this casserole would be better with some sharp cheddar cheese mixed in.

Pad Thai

Day one of vegetarian living is here.  My coworkers tempted me greatly this afternoon by going to N9NE Steakhouse here in Chicago.  I stayed strong though and ordered a pretty good veggie burger.  For dinner tonight we're attempting Pad Thai for the first time.

I've had a long love of Thai food.  My dad traveled to Thailand when I was in elementary school and when he got back all he could talk about was how great the food was. We promptly found an awesome Thai restaurant in Orlando (Siam Orchid - Sadly, I believe it's now closed), and that was it. They had an amazing watermelon slushy which I will attempt to recreate this summer and you could sit on the floor - it was the coolest place ever!

My husband subscribes to the Gospel according to Alton Brown with regard to all things culinary, so this is an adaptation of Alton's recipe which you can find here.

Pad Thai

• 6 oz Tamarind juice + lemon and lime juice to taste
• 2 T fish sauce (I used 1.5 T fish sauce and .5 T soy sauce)
• 2 T brown sugar
• 1 T rice vinegar
• 4 oz rice stick noodles
• 6 oz Marinated Tofu, recipe follows
• 1 to 2 T vegetable oil
• 1 c chopped scallions, divided*
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 whole eggs, beaten
• 2 t pickled tamarind leaves (stems removed) + salt to taste
• 1 T dried shrimp
• 3 oz bean sprouts, divided
• 1/2 c roasted salted peanuts, chopped, divided
• Freshly ground dried red chile peppers, to taste
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Combine the fish sauce, soy sauce, palm sugar, and rice vinegar in a small bowl and set aside.

Place the rice stick noodles in a mixing bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Once the other ingredients are measured out into separate bowls, drain the water from the noodles and set them aside. Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch wide strips, similar to French fries.

Boil the tamarind, lemon, and lime juice together to reduce to a syrup-like consistency.

Place a wok over high heat. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil. Heat until it shimmers, then add the tofu. Cook the tofu until golden brown, moving constantly, for no longer than 1 minute. Remove the tofu from the pan to a small bowl and set aside.

If necessary, add some more vegetable oil to the pan and heat until shimmering. Add 2/3 of the scallions and then the garlic, cook for 10 to 15 seconds. Add the eggs to the pan; once the eggs begin to set up, about 15 to 20 seconds, stir to scramble. Add the remaining ingredients in the following order and toss after each addition: noodles, sauce, tamarind leaves, shrimp, and 2/3 each of the bean sprouts and peanuts. Toss everything until heated through, but no longer than 1 to 2 minutes total. Garnish with the remaining scallions, bean sprouts, and peanuts. Serve immediately with the ground chile peppers and lime wedges.

Marinated Tofu

6 ounces extra-firm tofu, not silken

1 1/2 cups soy sauce

1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

Wrap the tofu firmly in a tea towel. Place the wrapped tofu into an 8-inch cake pan. Top with another cake pan and weigh down with a 5-pound weight. (Bags of dried beans or grains work well.) Place in refrigerator and press for 12 to 15 hours. - We completely forgot about this step and only pressed the tofu for about an hour, I think the tofu would get crispier if we pressed it for the entire time.

Place pressed tofu in a 2-cup container. Combine soy sauce and five-spice powder and pour over tofu. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, turning once. Remove the tofu from the marinade and use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 days.

This Pad Thai was very good. However, I will eliminate the dried shrimp when I make it in the future.  I'm a pretty adventurous eater, but that was a little too much for me. We couldn't find the tamarind paste that Alton prescribes but I think the substitution of tamarind juice plus lemon and lime juice worked pretty well. I also think that pressing the tofu overnight would really help to make it crispy. Marinating the tofu yourself is the way to go though, we had used a Chinese Five Spice flavored tofu for another recipe and it did not hold a candle to this!

P.S. I love Hipstamtic for the iPhone! It makes my pictures look so much better!

*Have you seen the trick for regrowing green onions? All you have to do is cut about a half inch above the white part of your used green onions, place it in water, put it in the windowsill and within a week or so you have new green onions. It's truly miraculous! I learned about it on Pinterest, to  which I'm addicted.