Fettuccine Pad Thai

Again, this recipe is from "One-Dish Vegetarian Meals" by Robin Robertson. One thing I really like about this book is that the recipes are practically vegan. A lot of vegetarian cookbooks put so much cheese and butter in their dishes that you might as well just eat the rest of the cow and get it over with.

Fettuccine Pad Thai

12 ounces fettuccine
2 Tbsp safflower oil
8 oz extra-firm tofu, drained, blotted dry, and cut into 1/2-inch strips
2 Tbsp tamari
1 small red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 bunch scallions, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tomato, cut into eighths
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
2 Tbsp white vinegar
1/2 cup fresh bean sprouts
1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Cook the fettuccine in a large pot of salted boiling water, stirring occasionally, until it is al dente. Drain and place in a bowl. Toss with a small amount of oil and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and stir-fry until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Splash the tofu with 1 tablespoon of the tamari, stirring to coat. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Reheat the skillet over medium heat with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the bell pepper, scallions, and garlic and stir-fry until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato, brown sugar, vinegar, and the remaining tamari. Cook for about 3 minutes to blend the flavors. Add the fettuccine and tofu and toss gently to combine and heat through. Divide among individual plates, sprinkle with bean sprouts and peanuts, and serve immediately.

My notes: I used 16 ounces fettuccine because I was lazy and wanted to use the whole package. I didn't have safflower oil, so I used olive oil. This might've been a mistake because it got too hot and the smoke alarms went off in my house (which is quite a normal occurrence when I'm cooking -- Jeffrey calmly walked out of his room and into the kitchen to say, "Dinner must be ready!"). I actually love tofu, so any chance I have to eat it, I take it. The tofu stuck pretty badly to the pan, so that was a pain. Tamari is expensive soy sauce -- I think it's geared towards people who can't have gluten. I just used soy sauce. I think it could've used more garlic and I don't know what the deal was with the tomato. It seemed a little odd. Next time, I'll put in zucchini or carrots instead. I was lazy and put the bean sprouts and chopped peanuts in with the whole dish and mixed it all together. This was delicious and even the kids were scarfing on the tofu -- I guess anything's delicious if it's fried. The sauce was very subtle and the noodles were super yummy.