Zucchini Pad Thai on a Summer Picnic Date

These summer nights have me wanting to take advantage of every opportunity to spend time outside and soak up the longer evenings! As a teacher, my routine is very set throughout the school year and it involves waking up way too early to hit the gym before school....it is rough, but worth it! During the Summer, I am blessed to be able to stay up later, sleep in later and that lends itself to more creativity in the kitchen and midweek date nights! We decided to pack up our dinner and go to Furman University to enjoy an Asian Zoodle Pad Thai. It wasn't too hard to make or transport and we had a lot of fun being the objects of people's stares as we fought off occasional bugs and wrestled with the tripod to get a few shots from above (#bloggerlife).

We had "pad thai," fruit, and Drew's current obsession-- Virgil's Zero Calorie Root Beer

I just love a meal that is as visually appealing as it is tasty and nutritious--win/win!

This recipe is a slight variation (based on what I had on hand) of a recipe I mentioned in this post about different ingredient swaps to cut calories without giving up everything you enjoy. It didn't take more than thirty minutes to put the whole thing together since I already had some sauteed chicken on hand. You will need a spiralizer to achieve the noodle-quality of the zucchini and carrots. Mine was a gift from Bed, Bath and Beyond, but you can order one here.

Ingredients (serves 2)

2 Zucchinis
1 Large Carrot
3/4 Cup Chopped Red Bell Pepper
Grilled Chicken (I used garlic powder, salt and pepper to season)
2 Tbs Lime Juice
3 Tbs Soy Sauce
1 Tsp Sesame Oil
1 Clove Garlic
1 Tbs Creamy Unsalted Peanut Butter (I used Trader Joe's brand)
1 Splash Stevia or Honey
Red Chili Flakes (to taste)
Cilantro
Green Onions
Lightly Salted Peanuts

Directions:

Sautee 1 inch cubes of chicken in garlic powder, salt and pepper on medium/high heat until cooked thoroughly--set aside.
Spiralize the zucchinis and carrot, chop the bell pepper
To make the sauce, simply add the specified amounts of lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, minced garlic, peanut butter and crushed red chili flakes. Stir until well-mixed and smooth,
Spray non-stick frying pan with coconut oil and allow vegetables to cook 1-2 minutes until they get a slightly softened, but not soggy (carrots and peppers will take a little longer)
Chop cilantro, green onions and peanuts as garnish.
Shred chicken into zoodles, pour peanut sauce and garnish as preferred!

As always, I ask Drew for an honest review of a new recipe and here was his response, "It's good--I like the sauce and peanuts a lot. Good flavor." Man of few words, but he doesn't shy away from kindly telling me if something isn't his favorite, so don't be afraid to test this out on any men in your life!