Veggie Packed Pad Thai

Don't be scared of fish sauce. It really packs in the flavor in this dish. Just ignore the smell. Then, experiment with the vegetables. I have made it a little different every single time, based on what looks good at the store. I use a combination of a spiralizer and a julienne peeler to get the vegetables to a similar consistently as the noodles. I stumbled upon this idea while searching for ways to use Thai Basil one night and combined several ideas I saw for this because I didn't want to leave anything out. And even though I originally tried it because of the Thai Basil, regular basil will work too. Thanks to Pinch of Yum for the inspiration to try something like this. I can't eat a lot of eggs, but a lot of the recipes I saw included an egg, and I am sure that would be good in this just like any pad thai. 

 Veggie Packed Pad Thai

• 6 oz thin brown rice noodles
• 1 zucchini
• 1 yellow squash
• 3 whole carrots
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 orange bell pepper
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 3 tablespoons low sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sambal oelek (chili paste) 
• 1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup thai basil or regular basil cut into thin strips

1. Check the noodle package for instructions on how to cook. Use the way that has them soak in a bowl, it keeps them from overcooking and becoming too mushy. When they are done, drain and set aside
2. To get your veggies into noodle form and ready to roll: For Zucchini and squash, use a spiralizer or a julienne peeler. Set on a paper towel to get the water out while finishing next steps. For carrots, after peeling outer layer, use a julienne peeler to get into thin strips. Use a good knife to cut your bell peppers into thin strips. (I have seen blogs that say you can use a spiralizer to get these into noodles, but it doesn't work in mine, so I just cut it very thin.)
3. Create a sauce by whisking together the fish sauce, brown sugar, honey, broth, white vinegar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and samba oelek. 
4. Heat sesame oil and olive in a large skillet. Add in your green onions and garlic and saute for about a minute until its fragrant and soft. Add in your other veggies (zucchini, squash, carrots, peppers). Saute until just warmed and softening. You don't want to do it too long, or they will get mushy. Transfer them a dish and set aside. 
5. Heat other tablespoon of olive oil. Add in your rice noodles and stir fry for about one minute. 
6. Add in the sauce and stir around until it's well heated. 
7. Add back in your vegetables and toss it all around until it's well heated. 
8. Serve a heaping bowl with chopped peanuts, cilantro and basil on top. 

***Makes 4 servings

***4 on Bryce's dish scale. Spiralizer, julienne peeler, cutting board, knife, skillet, bowl for sauce, and I like to use a bowl to pile up my veggie noodles as I make them.