Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

This coming week is my 18th birthday. As a family tradition, my mother has always made a special birthday dinner for whomever’s birthday it is. Growing up, I absolutely loved local geese fajitas with sauteed peppers and onions, using the wild game that my father retrieved with our bird dogs. Not only did I whole heartedly enjoy them for dinner, but also cold the day after, which in my opinion may even be tastier. Other meals that my family requests of my mother include linguine and clam sauce, enchiladas, chicken caesar salads, and fish tacos with pan-fried striped bass from the Cape.  From scratch, homemade food, has always been my mother’s thing.  Though some people think this way of life is too “inconvenient,” it is truly the not-so-hidden secret behind all of her dishes.  Therefore, whatever we wanted on our birthday, my mother was always in the kitchen ready to tackle it.  Not only was (and still is) dinner always homemade and delicious, but desserts by my mother have always been exceptional.  An example would be my 12th birthday, when I promptly told my mother I wanted an ice cream cake like I had at all my friend’s birthday parties.  Instead of going to Price Chopper or Dairy Queen to buy a pre-made cake ladened with chemicals and artificial dies, my mother literally made the entire thing herself. Though the girls at my party may not have appreciated it very much, I sure did, and still wish going back and snapping a few pictures before devouring it was an option. Whether a molded cake of Thomas the Tank Engine, Poo Bear, Veggie Tales, or simply a rich chocolate cake with buttercream frosting and raspberry jam filling, my mother knows her stuff! It is from her that my passion and love for being in the kitchen has come.  I would never have been able to cook without a cookbook, bake without a noted baking time, or keep a clean kitchen while working, if hadn’t been for my mother’s guidance throughout my childhood.  Growing up means lots of changes, which in my case included becoming ill, much to my families surprise.  Therefore, as you can imagine, birthday dinners became harder for my mother to come up with.  Not because I am not eating, but because of the limited list of foods I can tolerate, which makes finding something special, that I haven’t eaten in the past few days, hard.  That being said, she has not ever given up on making something different or exciting for me throughout my sickness, and for that I thank her dearly.

Today’s recipe was created out of an attempt to satisfy my craving for pad thai last August on my birthday. Though the original dish and this version are absolutely nothing alike, my creation was able to fulfill my bodies desire for what it perceived as a bowl full of yummy noodles. Growing up, I always had a thing for Chinese, Japanese, or any “Asian” food. Going out to sushi with the family, heating up rice noodle bowls from Whole Foods for lunch, or having an “everything but the kitchen sink” stir fry for dinner, were all regular occurrences in my early childhood. That being said, pad thai became the dish I would order, compare, and rate at most restaurants that served it. Some were mediocre, while others (mainly in NYC) were pretty authentic. If you ever get a chance, visit Pok Pok in Brooklyn, NY , they are incredible! Though my recipe may not be deemed legitimate, it is still packed full of flavor. Free of any grains, I turned vegetables into the noodles, and frankly, no one realized what they were even eating. My older brother, the hater of all things squash, was slightly disturbed after I wrote down the recipe for him, though he still loved it nonetheless.  Because no one else in my family eats fully Paleo, they had their stir fry on top of rice, however, having it as is will definitely leave you satisfied without the carb load.  If you don’t have a good source of shrimp, the photo above can testify that using chicken is just as tasty! The recipe itself serves 4-6 people easily, depending on if it is your only main dish.

Asian Noodle Bowl

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Ingredients