Low Carb Vegan OMAD Tofu Pad Thai w Cheesy Broccoli
You won’t feel any food cravings after you eat this all-in-one vegan Keto recipe. Your dish starts with a mix of zucchini and cucumber noodles for bright, fresh flavors and crunchy texture. They’re topped with a thick and plentiful peanut sauce with flavors of lime, garlic, and sesame. On top of your pad thai is a layer of crunchy pumpkin seeds and tofu coated in golden brown sesame seeds. The tofu is marinated in a salty and slightly spicy mixture beforehand for a deeper flavor. The side dish reaches outside the Asian cuisine, but it’s comforting food: vegan cheesy broccoli. Cooked broccoli is blanketed with a super healthy vegan cheese sauce that quickly blends together. This vegan Keto recipe is Instagram-worthy!
How to Make It
Step 1
The day before you make the meal, prepare the tofu by pressing a whole block with paper towels until you absorb the excess liquid inside. Slice the tofu into two thin, wide pieces and set them aside. In a dish not much larger than the tofu, combine water, soy sauce, and chili sauce. Place the tofu in the marinade and spoon some over the top of the tofu. Cover the dish and marinate the tofu overnight or for 24 hours.
Step 2
About an hour before you eat your meal, use a spiralizer to spiralize the zucchini and cucumber. Line a large tray with paper towels, and arrange the spiralized noodles across the towels in a single layer. Sprinkle the salt across the noodles, then place additional layers of paper towels over them. Weigh the towels down with another tray, a large glass dish, or another heavy object like a plate. Leave this arrangement aside for 1 hour so the excess moisture from the vegan noodles can be absorbed.
Step 3
When the noodles are ready, begin heating the sesame oil in a large pan over high heat on your stove. Wait until the oil is hot, then add the noodles to the pan. Let the noodles cook until the edges start to turn golden brown. Toss the noodles in the oil and continue to cook at high heat until the noodles are hot and golden all over. Transfer them to a serving plate to rest.
Step 4
Make the pad thai sauce by adding peanut butter, sesame oil, soy sauce, water, lime juice, minced garlic, and chopped cilantro to a pot. Heat the ingredients until the peanut butter melts, and everything can be stirred together into a creamy sauce. You may add extra water if you need it to be thinner. Pour the warm pad thai sauce over the vegan noodles and sprinkle shelled pumpkin seeds on top.
Step 5
Next, remove the tofu from their dish of the marinade and place them on a clean surface. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds over the exposed sides of the tofu. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, then place the sesame seed side of the tofu down in the oil. Sprinkle the remaining sesame seeds over the other side of the tofu. Cook the tofu on both sides until the sesame seeds are a dark golden brown. Place the cooked tofu on or next to the pad thai.
Step 6
Add THAWED broccoli florets from frozen to a clean pan over high heat on the stove. Drizzle the olive oil over the broccoli and season it with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Cook the broccoli over high heat until the broccoli turns tender and the spices char in the oil. While the cooked broccoli rests for just a moment, add hemp seeds, chia seeds, nutritional yeast, water, salt, and garlic powder to a bullet blender or food processor. Blend these ingredients to bring the vegan cheese sauce together. Combine the broccoli and cheese sauce, and serve it alongside your pad thai to complete the meal.
Ingredients
- Tofu, raw (not silken), cooked, extra firm
8 oz
- Water
1 cup
- Tamari sauce
2 tbsp
- Chili Sauce Ground or Paste
1.5 tsp
- Zucchini
6 oz
- Cucumber
6 oz
- Salt
0.13 tsp
- Sesame oil
1.5 tsp
- Peanut butter
1 tbsp
- Sesame oil
1.5 tsp
- Tamari sauce
2 tbsp
- Water
1 cup
- Lime juice, fresh
0.5 tsp
- Garlic
0.5 tsp, chopped
- Cilantro
1 tsp
- Pumpkin or squash seeds, shelled, unsalted
2 tbsp
- Sesame seeds
2 tbsp
- Olive Oil
0.5 tsp
- Broccoli Frozen Unprepared
4 oz
- Olive Oil
0.5 tsp
- Salt
0.13 tsp
- Black pepper
1 dash
- Garlic powder
0.13 tsp
- Onion powder
0.13 tsp
- Hemp Seeds Shelled Or Hulled
5 tbsp
- Chia seeds
2 tsp
- Nutritional Yeast
4 tbsp
- Water
1 cup
- Salt
0.13 tsp
- Garlic powder
0.13 tsp