Sweet Potato Veggie Tofu Pad Thai

Megs Cucina has been my outlet for sharing my love for food for about a year and a half now, and I think it’s finally time for you to meet the Meg behind the Cucina! Plus introduce a new look on the blog! So why now?

I met up with a bad a$$ group of Instagram bloggers recently and we all had the chance to introduce ourselves, our blogs, the purpose behind it and where we see it going. Which is something I hadn’t really taken the chance to step back and think about before.

I started Megs Cucina for fun, without a real end goal in mind which I think is why I’ve gone through periods of not knowing whether to continue. Especially towards the end of 2017, hence the lack of recipes on here.

But when it was my turn to share why I started this blog I realized it all came down to the joy I get from bringing people together over a good meal. Megs Cucina is my opportunity to share recipes that can bring you the same joy.

Since the people enjoying the meal are equally as important as the people behind them I figured it was about time to show you who is behind Megs Cucina. Plus I love connecting with the people behind my favorite blogs so I wanted to give you the chance to get to know me.

Here are 5 things to about me to get us started:

– I’m a marketing professional by day, Megs Cucina is my side project

– I’m a very messy cook and often use every dish and utensil in sight

– I usually lean towards Italian or Asian flavors in the kitchen

– Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day

– My favorite thing to make is a wholesome pasta dish

You can expect to see a lot more of the Meg behind Megs Cucina here and on Instagram plus I’ll be catching up on all the recipes I owe you! Starting with this epic Sweet Potato Veggie Pad Thai. 

But first, a shout out to the following gals who inspired this realization and re-energized me for 2018: Training2XL, Callie Anne Nutrition, Press Play Physio, Here For Her, The Healthy Sweet Potato, Wellness with Nikki, Julia Friesen, Taryns Healthy Eats, Method to the Megness and Apres Actif.

They were also the ones I cooked this Pad Thai for so I figured it was the perfect recipe to share for this post!

Alrighty back to this amazing Pad Thai recipe which was inspired by Rachel Molenda –  I just made a few tweaks – like adding sesame baked tofu.

I pretty much love any dish that involves noodles and Pad Thai is certainly one of them. But I’ve never tried making it at home! When I saw Rachel’s lighter version of this dish that used sweet potato noodles I was game.

At the time I was also planning the meal I would make for the group of bloggers mentioned above. These days, when cooking for a group of people, you are likely to run into different dietary needs and this recipe was able to satisfy them all! Gluten-free, vegan, (I think it is even paleo-friendly) and SUPER tasty.

Not to mention it is a pretty easy recipe especially if you buy pre-made sweet potato noodles 🙂

Ingredients

Pad Thai

1 package sweet potato noodles (or 1 large sweet potato spiralized)
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups sliced cauliflower
1 red pepper julienned
1 block extra form tofu
1 tbs sriracha
1 tbs tamari
1tbs sesame oil
1/4 cup sesame seeds
Olive oil
Cilantro for garnishing

Pad Thai sauce
* 1/4 cup tamari
* 2 tbsp almond butter
* 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
* 1/2 lime, freshly squeezed
* 1 tbs minced garlic
* 1 tbs minced ginger
* 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
* Sea salt, to taste
* 1/4 cup olive oil

How to make sweet potato veggie tofu Pad Thai

To make the sauce, mix all ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until a smooth consistency.

To make the Pad Thai, start with the sesame baked tofu. Chop tofu into small cubes. Marinade in a ziploc bag with sesame oil, tamari, sesame seeds and sriracha. Pre heat oven to 400F. While waiting sauté the carrots, cauliflower and red pepper in olive oil. Remove from pan. Put the tofu in the oven at this point, it will take the same amount of time as sweet potato noodles. Cook the sweet potato noodles in the same saucepan as the veggies with a tbs of olive oil. They take about 8-10 mins to cook.

When the noodles and tofu are ready, mix everything together in a large bowl, add the veggies and sauce. Toss until all ingredients are coated. Serve garnished with cilantro!

Find Rachel’s recipe here.