Sometimes there is nothing as satisfying as a warm bowl of Asian noodle soup on a cloudy Sunday afternoon. It was also incredibly satisfying to finish the meal with some mint-chocolate brownies that I had made for Tommy’s birthday- got the recipe from Here and while they are not even remotely healthy, they were delicious. Tommy is extremely patient as the guinea pig for many of my healthy dishes- especially attempts at dessert that have no recipe basis whatsoever- so it was about time I actually made something specifically for him to enjoy.
Last night, I made him a birthday dinner comprised of a brie-baguette appetizer, lamb burgers with a curried tzatziki, feta, arugula, and pickled onion, as well as lemon asparagus and those mint-chocolate brownies. I wish I had documented them more, because it was a delicious meal. I’ll be using the leftovers for quite sometime. I actually made a nice “leftover” breakfast this morning with a lamb-feta hash and apple-brie toast. I try to make the most of everything in my fridge, especially because I will be leaving on another extended-weekend at the end of this week. It’s Fall Break at school, and I am taking full advantage by heading to Nashville.
Okay I got really off-topic there, back to the noodles!
So probably the most interesting piece of this dish is that the “noodles” are not noodles whatsovever, they are my favorite veggie invention on earth spiralized zucchini !
I had two different types of zucchini at my disposal, both bought from the farmers market. I really enjoy the hybrid one (totally forget what it’s called, and I have consulted with google with no luck) that is half yellow, half green. I’ve made some really good noodles with them in the past. However, the fully green one (however a different pattern than most zucchini I see in the store) spiralized beautifully. Very little seeds (read: lots of moisture) and was perfectly firm for noodle-making. I was very, very pleased with the end result.
And that was just the noodle! Just the vehicle for this delicious trip down the totally-Americanized version of Asian food that I am accustomed to. Not really by choice- I would love to experience some real asian culture and cuisine, but I have not been afforded that wonderful opportunity. Yet.
Next, I chopped up literally every vegetable I had in the refrigerator- carrots, bell peppers, onion, squash, garlic, and ginger to make this delicious stir-fry noodle dish. I love eating a meal that is almost entirely composed of plants (I think I’ve mentioned it before) but I needed some protein as well. I had some grilled chicken in the fridge from a previous meal so just used that. But if you’re making this meal from scratch just cook some chicken breast in the pan before you proceed with the directions below. The chicken flavor should lend well to the saute-ing vegetables.
A quick word about the sauce- when I make a “sauce” sometimes I go through the process of adding ingredients teaspoon by teaspoon, whisk up, and taste. Sometimes, on the other hand, I simply add ingredients to what is already cooking and hope for the best. This was one of those times. The sauce is comprised of soy sauce, sriracha, honey, and a little dijon mustard to bring it together. The result is a tangy, sweet and spicy sauce that lends very well to the multitude of vegetables that are tossed in it. The first time I made this sauce I was floored, this time wasn’t as great and I actually ended up making a pan sauce at the end to add more flavor. (To do this, I simply took out all the vegetables/noodles/chicken and reduced the leftover liquid. I added about 2 teaspoons of flour just to make sure I’d get it nice and thick.) Point is- you can make the sauce in a bowl like a civilized person and then add to the stir-fry, or you can just open each bottle and make quick-tiny swirls into the “noodles” and stir.
Spiralizing is such an awesome culinary invention in my opinion, and I’m so glad it has caught on in the trendy-insta world. Again, I use the Veggetti, which costs about $10 from Amazon, and I think it’s a wonderful asset to any kitchen- but especially college students and families, as it takes up little to no space, is inexpensive, and simply works well. If you so desire, there are some higher quality ones out there as well, such as the Paderno (but that costs 2-3 times as much. Just sayin’.)
This noodle bowl was well received by my boyfriend, and even more so because he usually does the dishes after I cook (wonderful trade-off in my opinion) and he only had one large saute pan to clean! Wins all around.
Ingredients: (serves two)
For the sauce:
- Two tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari if gluten free)
- One tablespoon sriracha
- One teaspoon dijon mustard
- One tablespoon honey
For the noodle bowl:
- Three large zucchini/squash
- 1-2 chicken breast (cooked)
- Half of one white onion
- One bell pepper
- Three large carrots
- Two-three cloves garlic
- One thumb ginger
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Prep:
- Spiralize zucchini on thick setting. Chop remaining zucchini (that can’t fit into spiralizer) into small “coins”
- If chicken breast is raw- cook it first (gotta say it.)
- Dice onion and bell pepper
- Peel carrots and slice into “coins”
- Mince ginger and garlic
Cook:
- Pour a good amount of oil (just enough to totally coat the bottom) in a large saute pan. The biggest one you’ve got.
- Add the carrots, bell pepper, and onion to the pan and let saute for 3 min.
- Add squash, ginger and garlic (adding them later helps protect the flavor) and continue to saute for another 3-4 minutes.
- Add spiralized zucchini noodles and chicken to pan and top with sauce. Mix all ingredients together.
- Season with salt and pepper, then taste. Add more of the sauce ingredients depending on what you like. (For example: Didn’t taste too spicy? Add more sriracha. Too much spice? Add more honey. Not enough flavor yet? More soy sauce, or more everything!)
And there you’ve got it! A deliciously complex noodle bowl filled with numerous vegetables, healthy lean protein, and just one pan to clean! Like I said before- wins all around.
This dish is very low-calorie, and low in carbs as well. Inherently gluten-free as long as you stick to tamari instead of soy sauce. (It always makes me laugh when “gluten free” girls won’t eat a sandwich, but will dunk sushi into soy sauce with no second thought.) Can be made vegan with the omission of chicken. I made a similar stir-fry that was completely vegan for Meatless Monday last week and it was amazing.
Try it and let me know what you think!
-Pam
mindtotable.com 