Pad Thai - sort of

I love Thai food and have been wanting to try to cook some at home for awhile, but the special list of ingredients and a separate trip to an Asian market have deterred me from doing so. Donna inspired me to try to make pad thai from what I can get at the local grocery store. We had it last night and it was so good. Not authentic by any means, but similar flavors and textures. Enough to give me a little Thai fix. Here's a step-by-step guide to traditional pad thai and here's my take:
















1 pkg. rice sticks (I bought mine at Trader Joe's. You can also use spaghetti or a flat noodle like fettuccine)




















soy vay veri veri teriyaki (Robin introduced us to this and it is a pantry staple. Not only a terrific sauce, but works as a marinade too.)

peanut butter

meat (pork, chicken, beef, shrimp or tofu)

vegetables (I used frozen green beans and carrots because that's what I had on hand but traditional pad thai doesn't have many vegetables, just bean sprouts, radishes or chives)

eggs (optional)

coarsely chopped peanuts

1. Cook rice sticks or noodles in boiling water and drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a skillet or wok on high heat, add meat and cook.
3. Add vegetables, turn down stove to medium high, and cook until vegetables are crisp tender.
4. If using an egg, move meat and vegetables to one side of the pan, crack an egg (or two) and scramble.
5. Mix teriyaki sauce and peanut butter (I used about 1/4 c. teriyaki and 1 T. peanut butter) and add to vegetable/meat mixture. (If you add sauce before meat and vegetables it could burn). Cook for 1-2 minutes.
6. Put hot noodles into a bowl and add meat mixture, toss. Sprinkle chopped peanuts on top.