SPICY CHINESE STYLE NOODLES

I have been asked by a lot of friends to show them how to cook vegan. Lots of people seem to be showing interest in eating that way whether on a full time or part time basis. There are lots of reasons why there is a growing interest in this diet: Mainly animal rights, environment & health reasons. Vegan cooking is known to be lower in fat and calories than regular meat base diet. The only thing is nobody wants to eat grains and veggies only! Most people don't mind once in a while, but they’d rather eat food that reminds them of their old favorite. Foods they can relate to do not make them feel like they are missing out on anything.

I have been working on writing up a few recipes lately. Some have been my house staples, some I have created and some are recipes I liked from cookbooks that I have found a way to make a vegan version. I am going try and post a weekly recipe, with a picture of the final product and links of where to buy the vegan alternatives I am using in each of them. They recipes are very easy to make, they are "carnivore" approved, which means I have made it for a non vegan friend or family member and they have loved it. The recipes are also healthier than the original meat version.

For my first recipe I have decided to make an updated version of a childhood staple from Quebec. We call it Chinese noodles "nouilles chinoises". The original version usually use pork or chicken, my version is made with veggies and is a spicier, lower fat version.


I hope you all enjoy!




SPICY CHINESE STYLE NOODLES



Ingredients:

300g/ 10.5 oz brown rice macaroni style noodles
1+1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, or 1/2 of a big one, diced
1 tbsp minced ginger
2 celery stick, chopped small
1 carrot grated
3 baby bok choy, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek (optional, do not use if you do not like spicy, I like very spicy so I use the full 1/2 tsp)
1 tablespoon + 1/2 cup low sodium tamari sauce
pepper to taste

Preparation:

In large pot of boiling water, cook noodles according to package instructions, about 6 to 10 minutes with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Drain and rinse under cold running water until no longer starchy. Drain well; shake. Set aside to air-dry.

In a wok, heat the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil and stir fry the onions for 3-4 minutes on medium heat until translucent.

Add the ginger, celery and garlic and stir fry another 2 minutes.

Add the grated carrots, baby bok choy and sambal oelek and 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, stir fry another 3 minutes.

Add the cooked noodles to the wok with 1/2 cup of soy sauce, stir fry on high heat for 3-4 minutes until the excess soy sauce has evaporated. Add soy sauce to taste if needed.

Pepper to taste.

This will make 4 servings


Bon appetit!