Vegetable Lo Mein

Vegetable Lo Mein

I made this meal back in the Spring before I had fresh veggies from my garden, but now that my garden is in full bloom (although not doing as well as past years), I figured I should post this recipe for all my fellow gardeners. I actually do have peas, peppers, kale, carrots, green onions, and basil all growing so this recipe is perfect, and I'll have to make it again soon.  Of course you can always use whatever veggies you happen to have growing, or at your farmer's market, or even in your freezer, and could definitely add some cooked chicken, steak or tofu to the final dish to increase the protein content.  I just like how quick and simple this recipe is because if you are like me and love carbs, Chinese noodles can sometimes be a diet nemesis. With this recipe you can control how much oil and sugar goes into the pot, so you end up doing your body a favor.  I used whole grain organic soba noodles as the base, but you could also use your favorite type of spaghetti in this recipe as well.  So forget the take out and get cooking with all the bounty growing right out your back door!

Spicy Peanut Noodles

Spicy Peanut Noodles

If you read my post last night for Coconut Curry Noodles, you know that I based that entire meal around purple corn and rice noodles that I saw at my local store this past week.  Well, to be honest, those noodles intrigued me so much that I bought two packages.  I love when foods are deeply colored naturally because usually the darker the produce, the more nutrients it has for your body, and although I know that the amount of actual purple corn in these noodles probably holds very little nutritional benefit, I figured that they had to be better than plain old white ones. And more importantly, they are prettier. 

Anyway, I realized that unless I wanted tons of left overs I only needed to cook one package per recipe to feed my little family, so that left me with another box to work with.  I had initially had a spicy peanut sauce idea in my head when shopping but then realized that a lot of my posts have featured peanut butter recently, and having a nephew with a peanut allergy, I try to cook with and offer alternatives to peanuts.  But for this recipe, it is all about the spicy Thai inspired peanut sauce.  Full of healthy fats, tons of veggies and barely any sugar, this is a dish that is rich, satisfying and most importantly, easy to pack for a night on the run (once again).

This evening there is a walk-a-thon for the local school district at our high school track.  Normally on a night like tonight I would pack sandwiches, or just take a night off and go somewhere before or after to grab a bite to eat.  But this event goes from about 4:30 until 7:30 pm which doesn't leave a lot of time for eating.  I am planning to help out while there and my husband will be walking with the kids, but I figure he and I will be able to find some time to sit down and eat a quick meal.  Which is why I am packing this.  It is best served at room temperature and there is nothing in it that would spoil sitting out for a few hours, so I thought it would be perfect, and a nice change of pace to actually have a decent meal while out and about.  Of course the kids will be way too busy with their friends to stop for more than a minute or two so they have bags of fruit and veggies and Peanut Butter and Banana muffins to eat at some point.  Hopefully it all goes smoothly, and everyone is well fed.  I know that I am sure looking forward to it!

Coconut Curry Noodles

Coconut Curry Noodles

Usually when I go to the grocery store I have a very detailed list and a fairly good idea of what I plan to serve for meals for the next few days.  I rarely succumb to impulse buys and besides waiting to see what produce looks the best, I pretty much know exactly what I am going to buy when I walk in the door.  But every once in awhile I see something that I just have to try and then scramble around trying to figure out what else I need to buy in order to turn that ingredient into a meal.  This is what happened when shopping yesterday and I happened to see a box of purple corn and rice noodles.  I have cooked with rice noodles many times before because my son loves all kinds of Asian inspired noodle dishes and I love cooking inventive and adventurous meals that I know he will enjoy.  But what was I going to make with these intriguing purple noodles?

As I stood there in the aisle I tried to think of what I already had at home so that I wouldn't have to add too much more to my list and break my budget. Luckily I keep a fairly well stocked pantry and quickly realized that with the addition of a few fresh veggies I had enough to make a new meal using the purple noodles that was sure to please my family and be quick and easy to whip together on a school night.  You could definitely change up this recipe with your favorite vegetables, and a different protein source.  Fresh cooked shrimp, or even raw ones that you could then cook in the coconut milk (if you have more time), or cooked organic chicken or tofu would be delicious in the recipe, but I used the canned shrimp because I always have it on hand and it is an easy and convenient source of protein.

Now don't get all concerned about the level of fat in this meal because of the use of coconut milk.  Yes, the regular kind can be high in fat, but because it comes from a plant source as opposed to a cut of beef or a block of cheese, it is the kind of saturated fat that your body actually needs. Of course you could use a lighter version of coconut milk, but you will sacrifice the creamy texture and the satisfying richness of the dish.  Just because something is low in fat or lower in calories, doesn't necessarily make it healthier.  Plus when you eat "real" food, the way nature intended it to be, you won't be inclined to overeat afterwards.  This is the type of meal where you will not need a lot to be satisfied and although you could have dessert afterwards, you may not crave it like you would with other entrees.  And yes, my plateful is huge, but I did a heavy work out this morning and have been busy in the kitchen ever since. So now it is time to eat!!!

purple corn and rice noodles