Vegetable Lo Mein

So yesterday was Pi Day, the most wonderful, delightful fake holiday ever. And I made the most wonderful, delightful not-fake strawberry pie that I was dying to share with you. Except that when I cut into it after a very long day, the part that was supposed to have set up oozed all over the pan and the plate and everything. Oh, it was still delicious. But it wasn't quite pie. More like oozy strawberry tart (no complaints there, I guess). But I think I know the one thing that will fix it and I'm going to try it this spring and make another pie that hopefully will not ooze so I can post it to this blog. 

And I realize that Vegetable Lo Mein is kind of a sad consolation prize for !Strawberry Pie!  But don't be too too sad because (in theory) you have to eat something before your strawberry pie. And (I'm assuming) that after making pie you don't want that thing to be hard or stressful to make. Enter Vegetable Lo Mein. It's a 20 minute meal that's pretty and filling and mostly healthy. It's also a great way to use up leftovers or old vegetables (I personally used up two lonely salmon fillets and some wrinkly peppers and was pretty proud of myself). 

Vegetable Lo Mein
Serves 4
Prep and cook time: 20-30 minutes
Cost: $4.00
noodles: 1.00, vegetables: 2.00, meat: 1.00

1 lb spaghetti
2-3 C vegetables (whatever ones you want and have on hand. I used 1 onion, 3 carrots, sliced thin, 1 pepper. I wish I'd had some zucchini and mushrooms and broccoli--they would have been amazing)
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 T butter
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp Teriyaki sauce
1/2 tsp ginger powder
salt to taste
sriracha to taste
meat if desired (we used 2 salmon fillets; any meat would go great.

Prepare pasta according to package instructions.

While it's cooking, slice your veggies, then put olive oil in a saucepan and add vegetables. Saute with salt.

If you're cooking meat, saute it along with the veggies.

When the veggies are cooked, add the chopped garlic. Saute another 30 seconds. Add soy sauce, sugar, Teriyaki sauce, ginger, and butter. Stir to combine.

Drain your spaghetti and add the noodles, stirring to coat.

Serve.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Asian-y Noodles

 Mondays can be hard. Some might say that Mondays are inevitably hard. Which is why I'm giving you this recipe for Asian-y noodles of awesomeness. Because they're easy. And you can make them on a Monday. And your kids will probably eat them. And if you make them with some sort of veggie on the side, you can even feel good about your parenting. And if you don't, you can still feel good about your parenting. Because, guess what, you just made your family a delicious, home-cooked meal that somebody else would have gotten paid to make and put in a little Asian-y box for you to take out of their restaurant. But in the time it would take you to park your car, walk to the restaurant and wait to carry something out, you can make this meal. Also, it costs you $.20/serving, or less. So do it. (If you want; because Mondays are hard.)

 And maybe these don't seem like a big kid pleaser (note: they're brown; I know), but my kids--who are some of the pickiest kids alive (like, almost kind of clinically picky--I'm looking at you, Mark)--love these noodles. And try to eat them with chopsticks (which also makes you a good parent; or at least that is what I tell myself).

So get out the chopsticks, and some broccoli if you're rocking this Monday thing, and make these.

Asian-y Noodles
adapted from The Cooking Jar
Serves 8
Cook time: 20 minutes
Cost: $1.50 (See that price; it's about $.20/serving. Yeah, I know there's not a butt load of nutrition going on here, but there IS a lot of flavor, and go on and tell me how healthy your take out lo mein was, okay... Also you can add bean sprouts if you want, and that makes everything healthy, so there.)
noodles: $1.00, butter: .20, soy sauce: .10, teriyaki sauce: .10 (okay; I admit to BS-ing a little on the Asian sauces since I'm really not sure how much these small amounts would cost; maybe I'll figure it out on a day that is NOT Monday), other stuff: .10

1 lb spaghetti noodles
3 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp minced garlic
3 Tbsp sugar
3-4 Tbsp soy sauce (Note: I use about 3 and add 1 Tbsp of water to get it a little less salty)
1 Tbsp teriyaki sauce
Optional toppings: Green onions, seseme seeds, bean sprouts, chicken, whatever sounds good

Cook and drain your noodles. Try to get them al dente.

Melt butter in a frying pan. Add garlic and saute for a minute or so until fragrant (don't burn, so don't have your heat up way high).

Toss in noodles and stir to mix.

Add sugar, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, and mix.

That's it. You're done. I know it sounds too easy. That was kind of the point. So make it already. Become a believer.

PRINTABLE RECIPE