Shrimp Thai Pasta

I usually try to make a handful of recipes each month out of the Cooking Light magazine and this month I found a recipe for Shrimp Pad Thai.  I didn't have any rice noodles on hand, but decided to substitute with some organic whole wheat fettuccine.  The one thing I recommend is to wait until the water starts boiling to begin making the sauce.  I started the sauce too early which was fine, but you risk overcooking the shrimp if you're not careful.

Heat up a pot of water for the noodles (or pasta).  While the water is heating, combine sugar and the next 4 ingredients (through Siracha) in a small bowl.

Adding the lower-sodium soy sauce...


and fish sauce (and lime juice)...


and Sriracha (my favorite!).


Then, dice up some green onions and mince the garlic (I used a press).  You also need to peel and devein some shrimp.


Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.  Add oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Add onion pieces, shrimp, and garlic; stir-fry 2 minutes or until shrimp is almost done.




Then you are supposed to add the cooked noodles, toss to combine, and then add the sauce, but my noodles were still cooking so I added the sauce first (it still tasted great).


Once the noodles are ready, toss with saucy shrimp mixture so all of the noodles get coated.  Transfer to a plate, top with fresh bean sprouts, chopped peanuts, and some thinly sliced fresh basil (which I'm missing) and enjoy!


If you like spicy food then I would probably bump up the amount of Sriracha to your liking.  I've made this a couple of times, bumping up the amount of Sriracha each time and I haven't quite found the perfect amount.  If you decide to make it let me know what you think!

Shrimp Pad Thai
Cooking Light, March 2011 pg. 123

Ingredients:
8 ounces uncooked flat rice noodles (or pad Thai noodles)
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon Sriracha
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup (2-inch) green onion pieces (I chopped mine smaller)
8 ounces peeled and deveined large shrimp
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
1/4 cup chopped unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

Directions:
1. Cook noodles according to package directions; drain.
2. While water comes to a boil, combine sugar and next 4 ingredients (through Sriracha) in a small bowl.
3. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.  Add oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Add onion pieces, shrimp, and garlic; stir-fry 2 minutes or until shrimp is almost done.  Add cooked noodles; toss to combine.  Stir in sauce; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly to combine.  Arrange about 1 cup noodle mixture on each of the 4 plates; top each serving with 1/4 cup bean sprouts,1 tablespoon peanuts, and 2 teaspoons basil.

It's a little high on sodium, but for a "take out" style dish, much less than you would actually get from a restaurant. 

Yield: 4 servings
Nutritional Info:

Calories 462
Fat 16.1g (sat 1.6g, mono 9.1g, poly 4.8g)
Protein 15.8g
Carb 64.3g
Fiber 2.6g
Chol 86mg
Iron 3.7mg
Sodium 779mg
Calcium 90mg