noodles...

another win for pinterest!

after finding the great veggie burger recipe on pinterest last week, i thought i'd try another new one. i saw a recipe for vegetarian lo mein that caught my eye. i forgot to 'pin' it, but luckily bookmarked the blog that it came from. i've NEVER been a fan of chinese food. EVER! it's always too salty, and well... just gross to me. i don't know why i decided to try this lo mein, but i'm glad i did! hubs even ate some! he had planned on making himself a burger for dinner, but i made him take 1 bite of the veggie lo mein, just to get an honest opinion. he loved it, and decided he'd have a burger another night. i was thrilled :)

Serves 4

Salt
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.

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.

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, and 1 teaspoon each hot red pepper flakes and sugar.

(i left out the red pepper flakes. and since i don't have a kitchen scale (gasp! i know!!!) i just guessed on how much broccoli i was supposed to put in. next time i'll definitely add more. 8 oz doesn't seem like a lot, and however much i put in, definitely wasn't enough for me! i might add some other veggies next time too. you can never have too many, right?!)

so there it is. try it. maybe you'll be surprised, like i was!