Kid Friendly Pad Thai

1 Tbsp. sesame oil
2-3 cloves garlic
1/2 pound firm tofu, diced 1/4 inch
2 Tbsp. tamari
1/3 cup all natural peanut butter
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
1/8 - 1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tsp. brown rice vinegar
1 large sweet red pepper, diced fine
1 small-medium zucchini, diced fine
1/4 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 pound dry linguine, cooked
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives or scallions
sea salt and pepper to taste
Fresh limes

Heat the oil in a saute pan. Add the tofu, a little salt and pepper, saute for 10 minutes on medium-high heat, stirring often. You want it nice and brown. Add the garlic in the last minute or two of cooking.

Meanwhile, combine the tamari, peanut butter, honey and vinegar. Mix until smooth, add water to thin the sauce a little.

Pour half of the sauce into the pan with the tofu. Add the other vegetables and cook for 3-5 minutes. You're not cooking the veggies too much, because they are diced small and will cook super fast. You're almost just getting them and the sauce hot. Once cooked, add this mixture to the cooked linguine, tossing gently with tongs. Add the remaining sauce, chopped peanuts and chives. Toss a little more. Squeeze a little fresh lime juice over the top and serve.

Yield: 4 servings

I found this yummy recipe on Heather's blog and it's become a favorite of ours.

Notes: I'm not a big fan of tofu, so I decided to use shrimp, scallops and boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead. (You can use any combination of these three ingredients.) Of course, you need to adjust the cooking time, depending on the size of your scallops and chicken pieces. Shrimp cooks very quickly (3-4 minutes), so be careful not to over cook them or they'll taste rubbery.

I use honey (instead of maple syrup) and prefer a little less than the recipe calls for. I also use regular peanut butter. One time I didn't have any tamari, so I used soy sauce. It honestly don't know if I could tell the difference.

Cranberry Flax Granola Bars

(Click on photo for larger view)

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup Crisco
3 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup ground flax seed
2 1/2 cups regular (not instant) oatmeal
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup dried cranberries (I used Craisins)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup chocolate chips (dark or semisweet)
1/3 cup nuts (optional) (I used no-salt, roasted almonds)

Blend peanut butter, Crisco, brown sugar, vanilla and egg whites. Stir in flax seed, oatmeal, cinnamon and salt.

Once well mixed, blend in dried cranberries, chocolate chips and nuts.

Spray a 9x13 pan with Pam and pat the mixture into the pan with damp hands.

Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees or until just set.

Cut into 12 bars as soon as you remove the pan from the oven.

Once cooled, remove bars from the pan.

Yield: 12 bars

These are delicious! I got the recipe at a cooking class at my gym. I believe each bar has 180 calories. Other than the Crisco, these bars are a perfect snack.