Veggie Pad Thai with Korean Melon

Pad Thai is a great dish to make when guests come over because it is just so easy to make in big batches. Bear and I had a friend over last night for dinner and movies and drinks, so I made a huge bowl of pad thai for us all. Bonus- this version is free of not only eggs, meat and shellfish, but also tofu and other mock meats, so it's a very easy sell to omnivores. 

To make this dish special I made a few changes from normal pad thai. First off, I used brown rice noodles, because they seemed a bit healthier. I also added some korean melon to this dish. Korean melon is really tasty and the sweetness and crunch add a much needed light note to a dish like this, which makes it extra perfect for late Summer evenings.

Pad Thai with Melon-

• 1 package brown rice noodles
• 1 medium sized korean melon
• 3 baby bell peppers (or two normal ones)
• 4 stalks green onion, chopped fine
• 1 can water chesnuts
• 1 large handful beansprouts (canned will work fine)
• 1 large carrot, sliced thin
• 6 mushrooms, sliced thin
• 3 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
• 1 lime's worth of juice
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 tbsp chili sauce
• 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger 

First off, boil a pot of water. Once the water reached a rolling boil toss in your rice noodles, wait a few minutes, and when they seem cooked through, drain them and set them aside in a large mixing bowl.

Next, take the soy sauce, tamarind paste, ginger, lime juice, chili sauce and peanut butter and toss them in a large pot or pan (I use a huge non stick frying pan for everything) and heat them on medium, stirring thoroughly. Then add a quarter cup of water and the carrots, mushrooms and green onion. Let that cook on medium for five minutes, then add the other veggies, and allow it to cook for 10 minutes with the cover on.

During that time, slice up the melon. First step, cut the melon in half length wise and scoop out the seeds. Then simply cut it into slim matchstick like slices and put it aside. When the veggies are done toss them in the bowl with the noodles and add the melon. Toss well and serve in bowl.