PAD THAI

SERVES 2 Sometimes you just want a pile of something spicy, creamy, and comfortable, like Pad Thai. But the original dish uses rice noodles (fail), soy sauce (fail), peanuts (fail), and sugar (fail) to create the delicate Thai balance of sour, sweet, and salty. This version is Pad Thai, and you can feel good about eating, emotionally and physically. There’s a touch of rice vinegar in the Sunshine Sauce for sourness, snap peas for sweetness, and coconut aminos for saltiness. The ingredients combine to create a dish with just the right feeling on your tongue: creamy, rich, and luxurious. INGREDIENTS • 1 batch Sunshine Sauce (p. 45) • 2 large eggs • 2 teaspoons (10 ml) coconut aminos • 2 teaspoons (10 ml) plus 1 teaspoon (5 ml) coconut oil • 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup (480 ml)) • 1 cup (240 ml) snap peas, thinly sliced lengthwise • 2 cups (480 ml) Roasted Spaghetti Squash (p. 123) • 6–8 ounces Grilled Chicken tenders, diced (p. 29) OPTIONAL GARNISHES: • CHOPPED TOASTED CASHEWS OR ALMONDS • SUNFLOWER SEEDS • SLICED SCALLIONS • MINCED CILANTRO • A SQUEEZE OF LIME JUICE DIRECTIONS 1. Crack the eggs into a small bowl, and use a fork to scramble them with the coconut aminos. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of coconut oil to the skillet, and when it’s melted, pour in the eggs and let them spread like a pancake. Reduce the heat to medium and cover with a lid, letting the eggs cook until they’re set and beginning to brown on the bottom, about 3–4 minutes. Flip and lightly brown the other side. Remove the eggs from the pan and cut into strips with a sharp knife. 2. Using the same pan, increase heat to medium-high and add 1 teaspoon (5 ml) coconut oil to the pan. Sauté the onion and snap peas, stirring with a wooden spoon, until they’re crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add the spaghetti squash, chicken, and cooked egg to the pan and, stirring with a wooden spoon, cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. 3. Add the Sunshine Sauce to the pan and stir-fry until everything is well-blended and hot. Divide among two plates, sprinkle with garnishes, and dig in.

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Pad Thai reinvented for the paleo table: roasted spaghetti squash standing in for rice noodles, tossed with snap peas, chicken, and ribbons of golden egg. Sunshine sauce brings the creamy, nutty, sweet-sour-salty balance the dish is famous for — without peanuts, soy, or sugar. It is spicy, comforting, and luxurious all at once.

Pro Tips

• Cook the egg like a pancake first and slice it into ribbons. Those golden strips scattered through the noodles are the signature pad thai look and texture.
• Sauté the onion and snap peas just 2 minutes so they stay crisp-tender. Mushy vegetables ruin the textural balance that makes pad thai work.
• The Sunshine sauce does the heavy lifting — have it made and ready before the stir-fry starts, since the final tossing happens fast.
• Load up the garnishes: toasted cashews or almonds, sunflower seeds, scallions, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime are what make each bowl feel authentic.

Frequently Asked Questions

What replaces the rice noodles in this pad thai?

Roasted spaghetti squash — its strands mimic noodle texture while keeping the dish grain-free and paleo.

How many servings does this recipe make?

Two generous plates, ready in about 20 minutes once the sauce and components are prepped.

Can I use a different protein?

Grilled chicken tenders are the recipe's choice, but shrimp or diced pork would work beautifully with the sunshine sauce.

Is this recipe nut-free?

It can be — the Sunshine sauce is sunflower-seed based, so just skip the chopped nut garnish and keep the sunflower seeds.

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