Pad Thai for One with Kelp Noodles


4 of 5 (1)
member ratings
Nutritional Info
  • Servings Per Recipe: 1
  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 255.1
  • Total Fat: 16.9 g
  • Cholesterol: 185.0 mg
  • Sodium: 1,481.3 mg
  • Total Carbs: 15.2 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 3.5 g
  • Protein: 13.1 g

View full nutritional breakdown of Pad Thai for One with Kelp Noodles calories by ingredient


Introduction

What makes this recipe so low-calorie is that it uses kelp noodles (6 calories for 4 ounces!) in place of rice noodles. Look for them in your grocery store's natural foods section. They can be eaten raw, but I prefer them a little bit cooked, as in this recipe. Traditionally pad thai is light on the vegetables- in this version, I add a healthy amount of broccoli to improve nutrition and add bulk. This recipe makes a large helping for one person, and will keep you full for a long time! It's as good as restaurant pad thai, while being much lower carb and containing a fraction of the calories, and best of all it's easy and quick.

I put this in the "fish" category because of the fish sauce, but it is otherwise vegetarian. If you'd like, substitute soy sauce for the fish sauce. It's not quite the same, but it's about the same level of saltiness. Almost all of the sodium in this recipe comes from the fish sauce- if that's a concern, substitute low-sodium soy sauce.

To further reduce carbohydrates, replace the chili sauce with half a teaspoon of chili powder. This eliminates about ten calories, as well. You may need to add a little more lemon or lime juice to replace the missing liquid.
What makes this recipe so low-calorie is that it uses kelp noodles (6 calories for 4 ounces!) in place of rice noodles. Look for them in your grocery store's natural foods section. They can be eaten raw, but I prefer them a little bit cooked, as in this recipe. Traditionally pad thai is light on the vegetables- in this version, I add a healthy amount of broccoli to improve nutrition and add bulk. This recipe makes a large helping for one person, and will keep you full for a long time! It's as good as restaurant pad thai, while being much lower carb and containing a fraction of the calories, and best of all it's easy and quick.

I put this in the "fish" category because of the fish sauce, but it is otherwise vegetarian. If you'd like, substitute soy sauce for the fish sauce. It's not quite the same, but it's about the same level of saltiness. Almost all of the sodium in this recipe comes from the fish sauce- if that's a concern, substitute low-sodium soy sauce.

To further reduce carbohydrates, replace the chili sauce with half a teaspoon of chili powder. This eliminates about ten calories, as well. You may need to add a little more lemon or lime juice to replace the missing liquid.

Number of Servings: 1

Ingredients

    4 oz kelp noodles
    1/2 cup chopped broccoli
    1 oz extra firm tofu
    1/2 Tbsp Thai chili sauce/Sriracha
    1 Tbsp Thai fish sauce
    juice of 1 lemon or lime
    1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
    1 egg
    1 Tbsp chopped onion
    1 clove garlic, diced
    1 Tbsp peanuts, crushed

Directions

Slice up the tofu into thin slices, and press them dry between paper towels. If you can do this in advance, that's fine- the dryer the tofu, the easier it is to fry. Chop your broccoli, too, unless you're using pre-chopped frozen, which is just fine.

Heat the sesame oil in a nonstick pan and fry the tofu until it's a little brown on both sides. Add the onion, garlic, and broccoli and cook until the broccoli is done and the onion and garlic are turning translucent.

In the meantime, rinse the kelp noodles and drain them, then put them in a bowl with the chili sauce, fish sauce, and lemon juice, stirring everything together. Let them soak while everything else cooks, then add to the pan.

Let it all cook down for about five minutes, or until the sauce has somewhat thickened and the noodles are softer. Turn off the heat, add the egg, and stir it all up well until the egg is cooked and combined with everything. Plate and top with the crushed peanuts. Enjoy!

To add more vegetables, you can follow pad thai tradition and sprinkle them on top- traditional toppings include shredded carrot, bean sprouts, and fresh basil and cilantro.


Serving Size: 1 large single serving

Number of Servings: 1

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user LOUISATHELAST.

Member Ratings For This Recipe


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    Very Good
    Made this for lunch and added a hot pepper. Keeper. The marinade for the noodles was fantastic. - 10/1/12


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    I am looking forward to this, thanks for all the tips and advice awesome! - 4/26/12