Veggie Lo-Mein

I love making stir fries. I like to have fresh veggies on hand and cook up some ramen noodles to toss with an impromptu sauce. I keep a variety of soy sauces (low sodium has become may favorite lately,) rice wine vinegar, ginger juice, sambal oleck chili paste, ginger garlic sauce, curry pastes and broths necessary to make a quick, tasty sauce. I also really enjoy adding natural peanut butter and melting it into the sauce to make it peanutty, especially if I make it extra spicy!

I found this recipe on Pinterest (of course, original recipe here) and I thought it looked yummy and I decided to try it. I hadn't really used spaghetti noodles before and I find that I like the way they soak up the flavor of the sauce. I usually boil some ramen noodles and that is always really tasty too! This recipe calls for tofu (which I really enjoy) but you could also use chicken. I used firm tofu because I have found that I like the texture better, but it is a bit more delicate than the extra firm. Make sure you press it before frying it, I used paper towels between two plates to soak up the excess water that keeps it from browning well. I skipped tossing the tofu with the soy sauce because it really didn't need it, and I added carrots to mine for color.

Veggie Lo-mein

Serves 2-4

Salt (for water)
8 ounces each: broccoli crowns, cut into small florets, and sliced mushrooms
1/2 box (8 ounces) spaghetti
7 to 8 ounces drained extra-firm tofu (1/2 package), cut into bite-size chunks
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 recipe Lo Mein Sauce (see below)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium-large onion, halved from pole to pole, each half cut into sixths
1 tablespoon each: fresh garlic and ginger

Bring 2 quarts of water and a generous sprinkling of salt to boil in large pot. Add broccoli; cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon. Add spaghetti, cook, stirring frequently, until just tender; drain and set aside.

Toss tofu with soy. Mix Lo Mein Sauce.

Lo Mein Sauce

Mix 1/4 cup each low-sodium vegetable broth and low-sodium soy sauce, 2 teaspoons each rice vinegar and toasted sesame oil, (I used peanut oil because I didn't have sesame) and 1 teaspoon each hot red pepper flakes and sugar. (I used brown sugar, and added a little chili paste and some sriracha!)

Meanwhile, turn on vent fan and heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and the onion; stir-fry until crisp and spotty brown, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms; stir-fry until just cooked, about 2 minutes. Add tofu; stir-fry until lightly browned, about 1 minute longer. Add broccoli; cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Add garlic and ginger; stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds.



Transfer to a plate and add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the empty skillet; heat until shimmering. Add spaghetti; stir-fry until heated through, about 2 minutes.



Return meat/vegetable mixture to pan, along with Lo Mein sauce; stir-fry to combine.



Serve immediately.





There are SO many ways to make tasty, easy stir fries with fresh veggies! Experiment to find what you and your family enjoy!