Bariatric Pad Thai

As I've said many times, I post recipes here that scratch MY itch - and last night I was itching  for some Thai food, so...  that meant I needed to convert the national dish of Thailand into something bariatric friendly.

If you are unfamiliar, Pad Thai a stir-fried rice noodle dish commonly served as a street food and at casual local eateries in Thailand. It is made with soaked dried rice noodles, which are stir-fried with eggs and chopped firm tofu, and flavored with tamarind pulp, fish sauce, dried shrimp, garlic or shallots, red chili pepper and palm sugar, and served with lime wedges and often chopped roast peanuts.  And it's DELICIOUS - but also VERY heavily laden with carbs.

I obviously couldn't have that, which meant the high carb components with tasty low carb alternatives.  The bean sprouts replace the noodles.  A little sweetener replaces the palm sugar

Main Dish

1 lb diced protein* (cubed}
2 cans of bean sprouts (drained)

1 large egg (beaten)
2 bunches of green onion tops (chopped)
2 garlic cloves, grated

Add-ins

Fresh bean sprouts

shredded carrots

chopped peanuts

cilantro leaves

Sauce

2 Tbs of your favorite sweetener
1/8 tsp molasses
1 tsp fish sauce

4 Tbs soy
1 tsp sriracha (dependent upon how spicy)
splash of Worcestershire
ginger  (grated or dried)

Instructions

In a small bowl, stir together all the sauce ingredients and set aside
Heat a large (12 inch) skillet over high heat until screaming hot
Add a splash of sesame oil and  the protein until it begins to get some color
Add bean sprouts,  green onions and garlic
Allow sprouts and onions to wilt
Make a well in the center. add the egg and scramble into the mixture
Pour in the sauce, stir fry about 2 minutes until heated through.

Cooks Notes:

• The protein can be shrimp, pork, crab, squid, chicken, tofu or whatever you choose. 
• The molasses adds just a hint that gives the sweetener the flavor of brown sugar - don't freak.  it's only 0.6 grams of carbs added to the entire dish
•  Other, optional ingredients can be served on the side as condiments such as the red chili pepper, lime wedges, roasted peanuts, cilantro and fresh bean sprouts. 

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Per Serving	% Daily Value*
Calories 214
Total Fat 4.9g	6%
Saturated Fat 0.5g	3%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 119mg	43%
Sodium 1156mg	50%
Potassium 818mg	17%
Total Carb 10.9g	4%
Dietary Fiber 0.9g	3%
Net Carb 10g Sugars 1.9g
Protein 33.1g

Shrimp and Zoodle Ramen

It only took one serving for me to become a Zoodles (zucchini noodles) fan.  I'll never go back to Spaghetti squash or, God help me, those awful "Miracle Noodles" - of course, if you are a fan of either of those they work perfectly well as a replacement for the Zoodles in this recipe.  

If you want to try zoodles I strongly recommend the "Spiralizer" brand available at Amazon and other retail outlets.  I'm not compensated in any way by Spiralizer - just a fan..  

1 medium zucchini
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 clove garlic peeled
1/2 tsp ginger grated
8 sliced mushrooms
8 medium shrimp cooked, peeled and deveined
1 egg hard boiled
2 Tbsp green onion chopped
1 chili pepper sliced (optional - usually Serrano or Jalapeno)
Servings: bowls (depending on your eating capacity)


Make your zoodles on the thinnest setting, set aside

In a small pot, combine sesame oil, soy sauce, chicken broth, garlic and ginger. Bring to a hard boil, then reduce to simmer. If shrimp are frozen, add them and the mushrooms to the mixture then cover and wait 5 minutes for them to thaw and cook in the hot broth.  Otherwise add thawed shrimp with 2 minutes remaining.

Meanwhile, prepare a hardboiled egg by adding an egg cold water, bring to a boil, cover and remove from heat for 10 minutes. Transfer to cold water immediately and let sit for 2-3 minutes, then peel and slice in half.

Assemble your ramen bowl by placing the desired amount of zoodles in a bowl, followed by hot broth, shrimp, mushrooms and half of a hardboiled egg. Garnish with green onions and, if desired, sliced red hot chili peppers.

Cook's Notes:

• For the mushrooms I used baby bellas  (Cremini) but you can use shiitake to be more authentic - or just plain old white buttons!
• The heat of the broth will cook the zoodles and impart a delicious flavor in them.