I've been doing a lot of reading about copyright laws lately. Most of it has been for a class I am taking on creating digital content for use in my teaching, but to be honest there has been a bit of research in my personal life as well for this blog.
A month or so ago, I posted a recipe from another blogger, and for the first time since 2012, I got a request from the original poster to take down the recipe and simply post a link to her blog (which I did). She wants more traffic on her blog and was concerned that people could use just my site and not visit hers for her recipe.
I understand where she's coming from, but at the same time, isn't that what food blogging is all about? Sharing good recipes and ideas with other cooks? I always link to the recipe creator, but I suppose if you're looking for site traffic rather than acknowledgement, then that's not good enough.
I am not the kind of cook who likes or wants to make up my own recipes. I enjoy cooking more when I know things are going to turn out well in the end! Today I was reading a post that said that you "have to" create your own recipes if you want to have a food blog (this was posted by the creator of the recipe I have to share today, hence this post). I disagree. The point of my blog is not to make me rich or famous, but to keep track of what I have cooked for myself and my family. And there may be a few other people who follow along :) I don't think that my blog is very high traffic and doubt that it takes away from the "real bloggers" out there, but I'd also hate to upset anyone who felt like I was stealing their content.
The official recipe copyright rules are tricky. You can't repost someone's pictures - which I would never do anyway - but technically you can post recipes. However, to be safe, it's recommended that you change at least 3 ingredients and/or change up the instruction wording a bit, and then still link back to the creator.
So... I know that Lindsay from Pinch of Yum is of the mindset that real food bloggers make their own recipes and don't copy and paste hers. To be fair, I never copy and paste; I always retype everything because the formatting is wonky otherwise. I did make a few small changes in this recipe due to availability of ingredients, but mainly went with her absolutely genius creation. Most of the recipes she posts are great and don't need any tweaking, but I also don't want to make anyone upset. If you like this recipe, please visit her blog for lots of great recipes (and far more gorgeous photographs than I ever have.)
On to the pad thai! It was delicious and flavorful and full of vegetables. I didn't have my zoodle-maker, but I used my mandoline with the julienne blades on and it works perfectly (and saved me a lot of time). The sauce was amazing even without the chili paste, which I scoured 2 grocery stores for and finally gave up. Definitely a make-again recipe. One word of advice - try to devour as much as you can. I ate the leftovers the next day but they were definitely not as good.
Recipe:
rainbow vegetarian pad thai with peanuts and basil
from Pinch of Yum
serves 4
Ingredients:
for the pad thai:
4 ounces rice noodles
1 zucchini
1 red pepper
half a yellow onion
2 carrots
2 tablespoons oil
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (I used cilantro and basil)
for the sauce:
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons chicken or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce (look for gluten-free if you need to)
1 teaspoon chili pasta/sambal oelek (I used some sriracha, about 1/2 teaspoon)
Instructions:
1) Place the uncooked noodles in a bowl of cold water to soak.
2) Spiralize or cut the zucchini, pepper, carrots and onion into noodle-like shapes.
3) Shake up the sauce ingredients in a jar or whisk in a small bowl.
4) Heat a tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the veggies and stir fry with tongs for 2 - 3 minutes or until tender-crisp. Don't overcook or they will get soggy. Transfer to a dish and set aside.
5) Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan. Drain the noodles, which should be softened by now. Add the noodles to the hot pan and stir fry for a minute, tossing with tongs. Add the sauce and stir fry for another minute or two until the sauce is starting to thicken and stick to the noodles. Push the noodles aside to make a little room for the egg. Pour the beaten egg into the pan and let it sit for 30 seconds or so. Toss everything around with the tongs. The egg mixture will stick to the noodles and everything will start getting sticky.
6) Add in the vegetables, toss together, and remove from heat. Stir in the peanuts and herbs and serve immediately.
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