Chocolate-It's What's for Dinner

Pad Thai is such a flavorful dish.  When I first got Simply Thai Cooking (I have the second edition), I wasn't sure if I would make many of the recipes. They really have a lot of ingredients but actually they are pretty simple to make.  I adapted this recipe by omitting the chicken breast and shrimp. I only used tofu. I've also made it with just chicken. The tamarind paste may be a little difficult to source but it stays for quite a long time in the refrigerator once you find it. Pad Thai (Adapted from Simply Thai Cooking ) 8 oz Thai rice noodles 16 oz tofu, extra firm  3 T tamarind paste (concentrate) 1/4 c warm water 6 T roasted unsalted peanuts 3 green onions, chopped 3 T fish sauce 2 T lime juice 2 T sugar 1/2 c canola oil 1 t garlic, chopped 2 eggs 1 c bean sprouts 1/2 t chili flakes Fresh cilantro Lime wedges Soak rice noodles in cold water for at least 1 hour.  Place tofu on folded paper towels, place two folded paper towels on top....

Don't tell the kids but sometimes we have Guacamole for dinner. They'll want to know why this wasn't allowed when they were home. And we won't even discuss in the hot summer when we have ice cream for dinner!  I'm thinking this way - it's avocado (very healthy), lime juice (Vitamin C), and cilantro (it's green=must be healthy). OK so maybe you're not buying that guacamole is a good dinner so I won't even try to sell you on the ice cream for dinner thing. But guacamole does taste good and it's quick to put together.  Besides it's usually a Friday night meal. You know you get home from work; it's been a long week. You really don't need a recipe.  It's just a matter of adding ingredients until it tastes right. Guacamole 1 shallot 4 avocadoes lime juice hot sauce cilantro salt Buzz shallot in food processor.  Add remainder of ingredients and pulse until combined.  Taste and adjust seasoning. Now I know authentic guaca...