Veggie Mommy is back with some yummy Pad Thai

Veggie Mommy is home on maternity leave with VeggieBaby (child #3, our first boy!), so now that VeggieBaby is taking longer naps, I am thinking now is the time to start posting to this blog again.  Plus, there have been a few days that I have been able to try out new recipes!  Last week I tried a new pad thai recipe and it was perfect.  I prepared everything during the baby's naps, so it didn't take much come dinner time.

Vegetarian Pad Thai

Ingredients:
12 oz. dried flat rice noodles (1/4 inch wide)
1 1/4 Tbs. tamarind paste
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 Tbs. Sriracha sauce
1 bunch scallions - cut into 2-inch pieces, halve the pale green and white parts lengthwise
4 large shallots - thinly sliced
1 package firm tofu - cut into 1 inch cubes and patted dry
1 1/2 cups peanut oil
2-4 eggs (depending on taste)
4 garlic cloves
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
1 lime
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Preparation:

1. Soak noodles in a large bowl of warm water until softened, 25 to 30 minutes.  Drain well and cover with a dampened paper towel.
2. Make sauce by mixing the tamarind paste with 2/3 cup hot water.  Add soy sauce, brown sugar, and Sriracha, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
3. Heat the oil over medium heat, then fry half of the shallots until golden brown, about 10 minutes.  Remove the shallots and spread on paper towels.  The shallots get nice and crisp as they cool.
4. Reheat the oil until hot and fry the tofu, turning occasionally, until golden.  Transfer tofu to paper towels. Pour off and save the frying oil, except for 2 tablespoons.
5. Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and cook over medium heat.  Transfer to a plate.
6. Heat 5 Tbs of the shallot oil over high heat and stir-fry the scallions, garlic and remaining shallots until softened, about 1 minute.
7. Add the noodles and stir-fry over medium heat for 3 minutes.  Add tofu, bean sprouts and sauce, and simmer, turning noodles over to absorb sauce evenly until noodles are tender, about 2 minutes.
8. Stir in eggs.
9. Serve with peanuts, fried shallots, lime wedges, cilantro and Sriracha. 

My girls are all about limes right now so they loved squeezing the lime juice on top.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

There is pumpkin in the bread and the sauce in which it bakes, making this super pumpkin-y - it is moist and delicious. I found the recipes for the pumpkin spice bread and the pumpkin bread pudding online but can't find the source anymore. If you want a shortcut, you could use a mix for the pumpkin spice bread.

Pumpkin Spice Bread

Wet Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/2 cup water
1 egg

Dry Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups white flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare one loaf pan.
2. Combine the wet ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir well.
3. Add the dry ingredients and stir well.
4. Pour into the pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean from the center, about 35 minutes.
5. Allow it to cool.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

1 loaf of Pumpkin bread
1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a 9 inch square glass or ceramic pan.
2. Slice the bread into 2-inch thick slices and place on a cookie sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes on each side to dry out the bread.  Cool the bread and break into bite-sized chunks.  Place in a large bowl.
3. Grind the oats in a food processor until they are the consistency of a coarse meal.  Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.  Pour the mixture over the bread in the bowl, pushing the bread down so that it is all submerged.  Allow to sit 20-30 minutes.
4. When the bread is all soaked, spoon the mixture into the pan and the smooth the top.
5. Bake 45-60 minutes until browned on top and knife inserted in the middle comes out moist but not too wet.
6. Serve with warm caramel sauce.

Cheese Biscuits and "Orange Soup"

I guess we had an orange theme this weekend. On Friday night, the girls and I ended our long week without VeggieDaddy, who was out of town for work, at our favorite chinese restaurant. We ordered our usual: one order of sesame tofu (served with broccoli and covered in a yummy orange sauce) and one order of steamed tofu (no sauce). On Saturday, we went to the Farmer's Market (which has moved inside University Mall for the winter) and picked up some great baby carrots, along with some yummy cheeses (VeggieDaddy traded a couple of his homebrews for some of the cheese). On Sunday morning, we made the cheese biscuits below and made egg biscuit sandwiches. While the girls and VeggieDaddy made the biscuits, I put the soup on the stove for lunch. AND, clementines have been ingested daily. All in all, alot of orange foods for one weekend:)

Cheese Biscuits

2 cups flour
1 t salt
3 t baking powder
6 T shortening
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup finely grated cheddar cheese

1. Mix the flour, salt and baking powder.
2. If you have a food processor with a dough blade, just cut the shortening in 1/2 inch chunks into the flour and then process for 30 seconds. If you don't have a food processor, get one. Just kidding, just cut or rub in the shortening until shortening is well-combined throughout.
3. Stir in the milk, and once mixed in, add the cheese, then knead lightly.
4. Roll the dough 1/4 inch thick.
5. Cut the dough with an upside-down pint glass, or a circle cutter, if you're fancy.
6. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden.

Side note on this recipe: this is based on a recipe from The Treasury of White Trash Cooking, by Ernest Matthew Mickler and Trisha Mickler, a classic given to me by some friends when VeggieDaddy and I first moved in together. Thanks ladies!

Butternut Squash Soup

I called this soup "orange soup" because it sounds alot more appetizing to a 4 year old than squash soup.

2 ribs celery, chopped (including the celery leaves)
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 T olive oil
1 lb butternut squash, peeled and cubed (I buy Trader Joe's precut)
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
2 t cumin
1 t sage
1 t turmeric
Pepper to taste
4 cups water

1. Cook the celery, onion and garlic over medium heat in 1 T olive oil until softened.
2. Add the squash, potato and spices and continue to cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
3. Add the water and bring it to a boil. Turn down to simmer and cover.
4. Cook for 35-40 minutes, or until the squash and potato are softened.
5. Puree in a food processor until smooth.

Have a great week! If we get a "snow day" tomorrow maybe we will come up with some special inauguration day recipes!