I saw this recipe for pad thai noodles with kale and mushrooms on Chocolate & Zucchini and I knew I had to try it.

I’ve been following Chocolate & Zucchini for a while now. Clotilde is based in Paris so in addition to posting delicious recipes, she has tips on where to eat and travel in France. As someone who fantasizes about moving back to France daily, I appreciate living vicariously through her blog.

I’m usually wary of pad thai recipes because they can be very hit or miss. You wouldn’t think so because it’s just noodles, but it has to do more with the sauce. Some recipes give you a weird ratio of peanut butter to oil and soy sauce and you’re left with a goopy or runny mess.

Luckily, that didn’t happen with this pad thai. The sauce had the perfect ratio of lime, peanut butter, soy sauce, and sesame oil. It was light enough to coat the noodles but heavy enough to give the noodles lots of flavor.

I like the kale and mushrooms in the dish because they add some earthiness and pair well with the peanut flavor. The mushrooms are an especially good addition because they are substantial and add a meat-like quality to the dish. I wasn’t missing meat, don’t get me wrong. But it’s nice to have an element of the dish that’s not noodles or kale ribbons.

ANYWAY. This pad thai was so good that I almost ate the entire pot in one sitting. Instead, I forced myself to save half for lunch today. It will give me something to look forward to as I sit at my desk on a Monday.

In other news, I watched a really good movie over the weekend that I’d highly recommend. “Frantz” is about a French solider who goes back to Germany after World War I to make amends for things that happened during the war.

I usually ruin movies for myself by predicting the big secret early on, and that happened again with “Frantz.” But I actually didn’t predict a huge plot twist toward the end, so bravo to François Ozon.

Classical music features heavily in the movie. The main character plays the violin and at one point, he plays this song. I hadn’t listened to it in a long time and hearing it in the movie reminded me of how much I like it.

Pad Thai with Kale and Mushrooms (slightly adapted from Chocolate & Zucchini)

Ingredients

2 Tbsp all-natural unsweetened peanut butter
juice of 1 organic lime
2 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce
400 grams (14 oz) brown rice noodles
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
150 grams (5 1/3 oz) kale, about 4 stalks, center stem removed, leaves sliced into ribbons
400 grams (14 oz) brown mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
1 clove garlic, finely minced

Directions

Whisk together the peanut butter, lime juice, sesame oil, and soy sauce in a medium bowl until smooth. Set aside.

Cook the noodles according to package directions and drain once cooked. Rinse with cold water and set aside.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the kale, mushrooms, and garlic, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Toss the noodles, sauce, and vegetables together in the same pot you cooked the noodles in. Enjoy!