Pad Thai with Goldbaum's Brown Rice Fettuccine Noodles


I received a very nice package from Goldbaum's on Friday. In it was all sorts of great things, including a package of brown rice fettuccine. I love the whole idea of brown rice pasta, as it leaves in tact the natural health benefits of the grain. At first I thought I would make Chicken Fettuccine. 

Then I ran across a clearnced package of Pad Thai sauce while I was at Kroger. I am not ashamed to say that I buy clearance product by the way. (Actually I often scout out the coveted orange sticker!) We often luck out as there are often great vegetables at our Kroger on clearance that I get for half the cost, allowing me to add more fresh vegetables to our diet. The timing was perfect as well. My husband had a long standing tradition with his college roommate: Asian food Sunday. I say Asian food, because sometimes it was Thai, sometimes Vietnamese cuisine. This was a tradition that we continued after we got married, although for a long time we just ate Chinese, because there are NO Vietnamese restaurants in the greater Flint area. Recently we started eating out at Thai restaurants, until we realized that most of the dishes I liked (like Pad Thai) were made with soy sauce, and most always Kikkoman Soy Sauce, which has wheat in it. So we began a tradition of making Pad Thai at home, often on Sundays. We like using the Taste of Thai line of products because they clearly state Gluten Free on the label!



So if you've never had Pad Thai before, you may be wondering why on earth I would use fettuccine noodles to make an Asian dish. Well, Goldbaum's Fettuccine noodles are basically a brown rice version of your traditional Pad Thai noodle. Pad Thai noodles are made from white rice, and it always bothered me that I couldn't find a whole grain version. Thanks Goldbaum for making a whole grain version. 

If you've never had Pad Thai before or have never tried to make it on your own, there is a very easy to follow version on the back of the Pad Thai sauce box. I did make a few alterations, other than the obvious one of using the brown rice noodles.

First, I used only half the pasta the recipe called for originally. They call for a 1/2 pound of noodles for four servings. I did a 1/4 of a pound instead, because it's only my husband and I eating. (Although I did use all of the chicken that it called for in the recipe.)

Secondly, I did not use the bean sprouts the recipe called for either. The Korean market near our house was closed today, so I tried to run to Kroger. Now I know the last time I was there, they stopped carrying them, but I thought it was worth the shot. (Plus I had to buy the chicken.) After talking to the manager, she explained to me that after a recent food illness epidemic involving bean sprouts, all Kroger stores discontinued carrying them. That explains a lot, as I couldn't buy them at my local Meijer anymore either. So, we used lightly blanched fresh green beans instead. It was really good that way, and I think my husband and I prefer it over the traditional bean sprouts.

So the final verdict: we prefer using the Goldbaum's pasta for our Pad Thai than the traditional noodles, as the noodles have their own flavor which adds to the depth of the dish. In my husband's words, dinner was fantastic!

And for dessert; Ben and Jerry's Banana Peanut Butter Frozen Greek Yogurt on a Goldbaum's cone. I'll post about that experience in a few days, so check back soon!

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