Sriracha Chex Mix

Sriracha Chex Mix

I love Chex Mix. Chex Mix is one of my favorite snacks. Only homemade Chex Mix though. I stock up on Chex Cereals whenever I see them on sale at the grocery store. I’m always trying to come up with new flavor options for the wonderful snack mix.

I’ve made it with Creole seasoning, I loved it with curry seasoning and just recently, I decided I needed to make a Sriracha Chex Mix. Who doesn’t like sriracha? It seemed like it would be the perfect addition to this snack mix. I was right.

In a giant mixing bowl, I mixed up the Rice Chex, Corn Chex, cashews, almonds and peanuts.

I mixed up some melted butter, sriracha, sesame oil,  and tamari.

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I processed some garlic and ginger in my Cuisinart Mini-Prep so it became a paste and then added it to the bowl with the butter and the sriracha.

I poured the mixture over the Chex and nut mixture. I stirred everything well.

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I placed everything on a rimmed baking sheet and then I baked it in the oven at a low heat for an hour. I stirred it up every 15 minutes or so.

I then let the mixture cool and then sampled a bit. Oh yeah.

This Chex Mix came with us to our New Year’s Eve party. It’s perfect for any party or just for casual snacking. I love the kick of the sriracha!

Hope you enjoy!


Sriracha Chex Mix
 
Author:
Recipe type: Snack, Gluten Free
Ingredients
  • 6 cups Rice Chex
  • 6 cups Corn Chex
  • 1 cup roasted unsalted cashews
  • 1 cup roasted peanutes
  • 1 cup toasted almonds slivers
  • 1 stick of butter, melted
  • ⅓ cup Sriracha
  • ¼ cup tamari or soy sauce
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 3-4 inch piece ginger, peeled
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 250
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry cereals and the nuts.
  3. In a smaller bowl, combine the melted butter, tamari, sriracha and the sesame oil.
  4. Puree the garlic and ginger in a food processor and then mix in to the sriracha mixture.
  5. Stir the melted butter and sriracha mixture in to the cereal mixture and stir well, making sure that all nuts and cereal pieces are coated well.
  6. Transfer to rimmed baking sheets.
  7. Bake in the oven for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
  8. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
  9. Enjoy!

Sriracha Chex Mix

Spicy Miso Ginger Soup with Mushrooms & Spinach

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We were having a get-together with some friends and I offered to bring something over. They suggested soup. I initially thought I would do something simple like my Cardamom Cauliflower Soup or perhaps my French Onion Soup. I wanted to change things up a bit though. It’s been pretty cold around here and I’ve been craving spicy Asian noodle soups. My Bon Appétit Magazine had just arrived and I was drooling over the rice noodle soup on the cover.

Having looked through various recipes for inspiration, I decided to come up with my own vegan soup recipe. I had some miso on hand as well as shiitake mushrooms. I knew I could pull something together.

I began by sautéing up some shallots, garlic and ginger in a little bit of sesame and canola oil. As they softened, I added some cubed extra firm tofu and some sliced shiitake mushrooms, along with the whites of the scallions. I let everything sear and soften. The smell coming off the pot was amazing.

I stirred in some chili garlic paste and added some vegetable broth to the pot. I then added a strip of Kombu to the broth mixture. Kombu is a type of seaweed that adds amazing flavor to soups.

Next, I stirred in some miso and tamari to the mix. I tasted the broth a bit to see if it needed additional spice. I like heat, so I added a couple of squirts of Sriracha.

Next, I added some spinach, shredded daikon and shredded carrots. The spinach cooks up fast. At that point, the soup smelled amazing and I really wanted to dig in. I let the soup simmer for about a half hour. I then ladled in to a bowl over some gluten free soba noodles.

This soup is perfect. It’s great for these cold winter days. Add some extra sriracha if you want an extra kick.

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Spicy Miso Ginger Soup with Mushrooms & Spinach
 
Author:
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: Asian, Gluten Free
Ingredients
  • ½ tbsp. rice bran oil
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • 2 shallots, chopped
  • 4 inch piece of ginger, peeled
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 2 scallions, chopped (whites and light green only)
  • ½ pound extra firm tofu, drained and cubed
  • 10 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 tsp. chili garlic paste
  • 10 cups vegetable or imitation chicken broth
  • 1 6-inch strip of kombu
  • 2 tbsp. white miso paste
  • 1 tbsp. tamari or soy sauce (can adjust taste)
  • 1-2 tbsp. sriracha (optional, to taste)
  • red pepper flakes (optional, to taste)
  • 1.5 cups shredded carrot
  • 1.5 cups shredded daikon
  • 2-3 cups packed spinach leaves (could also use kale or mustard greens)
  • Soba noodles (optional, to serve)
Instructions
  1. Process the garlic and ginger in to a paste in the food processor.
  2. Heat up the oils in a heavy bottom soup pot.
  3. Add in the garlic, ginger and scallions and saute for a few minutes to soften.
  4. Add in the mushrooms and the tofu and saute for several minutes.
  5. Stir in the chili paste and add in the broth.
  6. Mix in the miso paste and tamari and taste the soup a bit. Add additional sriracha or red pepper flakes for extra heat.
  7. Add in the shredded veggies and spinach and cover the pot. Let the soup simmer for about a half hour.
  8. Serve over soba noodles.
  9. Enjoy!

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Crispy Rice Cakes with Spicy Salmon

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My husband and I recently checked out a new sushi place in our area. My husband was blown away by this raw tuna dish I picked out. The spicy tuna was served over these crispy rice cakes. He gushed over the dish and told me that I had to cook up something similar as soon as possible.

His raw fish of choice is usually salmon.  So the next weekend, he made a beeline for the market and bought around a half a pound of sushi-grade wild salmon.

He pulled out the rice cooker and begged me to make my version of the dish.

I made some sushi rice and seasoned it. I then shaped it in to various shapes. I tried shaping it both with my hands and with a rice mold. I then pan fried it in a combination of rice bran oil and sesame oil. While frying the rice cakes, I lightly sprinkled the cakes with some soy sauce for extra flavor.

While the rice cakes were crisping up, I got to work on the salmon.

I skinned the salmon. I saved the salmon skin for sushi rolls.  I then chopped up the salmon in to small bits. I mixed the salmon with some mayonnaise, some sriracha, sesame oil and chopped scallions.

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I served this mixture on top of the rice cakes. You can dip the rice cakes in additional soy sauce if desired or serve with wasabi or even more sriracha. Enjoy!

Crispy Rice Cake with Spicy Salmon
 
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1.5 cups raw sushi rice, cooked and seasoned (use this recipe)
  • .40 lbs of sushi-grade wild salmon
  • 1 tbsp. mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp. sriracha
  • 1 tsp. sesame oil
  • 4 scallions. Chopped plus extra for garnish
  • 1-2 tbsp. rice bran oil
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • soy sauce or tamari
Instructions
  1. Cook the sushi rice and season with seasoned rice vinegar.
  2. Chop up the raw salmon and place in a bowl.
  3. Mix in the mayonnaise, sriracha, sesame oil and scallions.
  4. Form the cooked sushi rice in to shapes and fry in the heated and oiled pan. Let the rice cakes brown a bit on each side. Sprinkle soy sauce over the rice cakes and brown some more. The rice cakes should be crispy.
  5. Place a dollop of the salmon mixture over each rice cake and enjoy! Serve with soy sauce, extra sriracha and/or wasabi.

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Stir Fried Bok Choy and Orange Cauliflower with Tofu

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I am very fortunate to live and work in areas where I have easy access to fresh, organic produce from local farms. My local farmer’s market often determines any given dinner. On a recent recent night, my dinner came from some fresh and massive bok choy from my co-op and an orange cauliflower from the farmer’s market outside my office building. I have never had this particular kind of cauliflower, but since the sign labeled it as “Cheddar Cheese Cauliflower,” of course I had to pick it up.

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The farmer told me that the cauliflower would taste a bit sweeter than the standard variety. I couldn’t tell the difference, but it was still mighty tasty!

I recently discovered the “Super Extra Firm” tofu at Trader Joe’s. It’s pre-pressed, so it requires minimal draining. It’s perfect for quick dinners like this one.

I cubed up the tofu and then washed and cut up the veggies. I then did a quick stir fry along with some garlic, ginger, tamari, Hoisin Sauce, sesame oil and miso. The dish came out perfect. I served it with some Basmati rice, but brown rice will also work just as well.

A regular white cauliflower will work just as well as the “Cheddar Cheese” variety.

Stir Fried Bok Choy and Orange Cauliflower with Tofu
 
Author:
Recipe type: Main Course, Dinner
Cuisine: Stir Fry, Asian
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp. canola oil or other flavorless oil
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • 1 lb. extra firm tofu, drained and pressed - cut up in to cubes
  • 2 tsp.
  • 3 shallots, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 tbsp. ginger, chopped
  • 1 head of bok choy, cut up in 1-inch pieces
  • 1 head of cauliflower, washed and cut in to florets
  • 2 tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
  • 2 tbsp. red miso
  • 3 tbsp. vegetable broth
  • 2 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • scallions, chopped plus extra to garnish
Instructions
  1. Heat up the oils in a large wok or saute pan
  2. Add in the cubed tofu and brown for a few minutes
  3. Once the tofu has browned, add in the salt, onions, garlic, ginger and garlic and saute a few minutes.
  4. Add in the cauliflower and bok choy and stir fry for about five minutes. Let the veggies soften. You don't want them too mushy.
  5. Mix up the soy sauce, miso, hoisin and vegetable broth in a small bowl and then pour over the stir fry.
  6. Add in some of the scallions and the red pepper flakes. Taste and add additional salt as needed.
  7. Serve over rice. Enjoy!

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Red Miso Braised Baby Bok Choy

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This vegetable side dish was inspired by a walk through my local farmer’s market a while back. As new fresh veggies come in to the market, I get more and more excited to bring new stuff home.

I also  recently went on a shopping frenzy at my local Korean grocery store. I managed to pick up my favorite kind of miso, red miso. Red miso is a rich fermented soy bean paste that lends itself to heartier foods. It’s perfect for a braise and bok choy works well with it.

This bok choy comes together in just a few simple steps. We served this with some grilled salmon. I hope you enjoy!

Red Miso Braised Baby Bok Choy
 
Author:
Recipe type: side dish, vegetable
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp. coconut oil (you could also use peanut oil or canola oil)
  • 1 tsp. sesame oil
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 2 tbsp. ginger, chopped
  • 2 tbsp. garlic, chopped
  • 5-7 medium heads of baby boy choy, washed and trimmed
  • 2 tbsp. red miso
  • ½ cup vegetable broth
  • 2 tsp. tamari or soy sauce
  • 2 tsp. red pepper flakes
Instructions
  1. Heat up the oil in a large pan.
  2. Add in the shallot, garlic and ginger. Cook a few minutes to soften.
  3. Add the cut bok choy to the pan and sear on both sides - about two minutes.
  4. In a small bowl, mix the miso with the vegetable broth and the tamari.
  5. Pour miso mixture over the bok choy. Cover the pan for 2-3 minutes to cook the boy choy a little.
  6. Add red pepper flakes to taste.
  7. Remove from heat and serve.
  8. Enjoy!

miso-braised-baby-bok-choy

Asparagus and Leek Fried Rice

We recently spent the day in and around Bucks County, PA. This area that stretches from the New Jersey border, near the Delaware River, is simply beautiful. Filled with beautiful farmland, old homes, and adorable little shops and wineries – there is just so much to see. As we were driving to our destination, we passed by a farm that advertised some fresh asparagus. I love asparagus! I got super excited, but we had somewhere to be. I made note of the sign and hoped that we’d be able to buy some of the good green stuff on our way home.

We stopped by the farm on our way back. At first I was disappointed to see that the place appeared “closed.” On closer look though, I noticed a small little shack with open doors that appeared to have farm goods inside. I got out of the car to inspect. They had a small selection of asparagus, herbs, greens and fresh honey available. There was no shopkeeper, but all items were priced and there was a locked box to deposit your money in. Love it! I fished out a few dollars and bought some asparagus! Love this kind of shopping. Further down the road, we stopped at another farm for fresh brown eggs. It was a lovely day!

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I was so excited to use this fresh and local asparagus. Earlier that morning, I had picked up some lovely fresh leeks. I love the way leek pairs well with asparagus. I was thinking about just sauteing the two as a side dish, but then it occurred to me to use the vegetables in my main dish.


Asparagus and Leek Fried Rice
 
Asparagus and Leek Fried Rice
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp. rice bran oil or canola oil (or any other high heat friendly oil)
  • 1 tsp. sesame oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 tbsp. crushed fresh ginger
  • 8 oz. chicken-style seitan (or protein of your choice)
  • 2 leeks
  • 1 lb. asparagus, cut to 1.5 inch pieces
  • 4 cups cooked and cooled rice
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 tsp. sesame oil
  • 2 tsp. red pepper flakes
Instructions
  1. Start by cleaning your leeks. Slice them in thin rounds and soak in cold water. The sand and grit will soak to the bottom. Blot dry with a paper towel.
  2. In a large wok or fry pan, heat up the oil.
  3. Add in the garlic, ginger and onion. Cook for about 5 minutes to soften a bit.
  4. Add in the seitan chicken or any protein for that matter. Cook for two more minutes.
  5. Add in the cleaned and trimmed leeks and asparagus. Cook for about 3-5 minutes.
  6. Stir in the already cook rice. Mix to incorporate well.
  7. Add in the rest of the seasonings. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, stirring as you go. Taste and add additional seasoning as necessary. I love adding some chili pepper flakes and a squirt of sriracha when I eat it,
  8. This dish is very versatile. Feel free to add other vegetables or change up your protein.

 

 

Hong Kong Pan-Fried Noodles with Mock Duck

This month, in our Kosher Connection link-up, we are sharing “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.” I had a very hard time with this. There are so many “best things” in my life of eating. Even the Food Network show breaks it up in to categories! If I could do some sort of award ceremony, I could give some special trophy for at least 10 different foods! I don’t have one favorite. I love so many different dishes for so many different reasons.

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I decided to share with you this one dish today. These Hong Kong Pan-Fried Noodles with Mock Duck are simple to prepare, and it’s a dish that’s pure comfort food. It has a flavor and mouth feel that I crave every so often. This dish brings me back to dinners out with my family at KinhDo Restaurant in the Uptown area of Minneapolis. One of the dishes we often got was this fabulous mock duck noodle dish. More recently, I had a noodle dish at Buddha Bodai in Chinatown that reminded me of this dish. I decided to combine the two.

I trekked out to Chinatown last week to pick up some of the ingredients. Hong Kong Supermarket, one of my favorite stores, carries a huge selection of Asian noodles and sauces that happen to be kosher. With some vegetarian oyster sauce and noodles in hand, I headed back home to make this dish. I was very happy with the results.


Hong Kong Pan-Fried Noodles with Mock Duck
 
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp. canola oil
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Ginger
  • 8 oz. Cremini Mushrooms, Sliced
  • 10 -12 oz. of Mock Duck or Seitan, sliced up in to bite-size pieces (You can use more if you like. This is what I had on hand.)
  • 1 package of Hong Kong Pan-Fried Noodles
  • 3 tbsp. Hoisin Sauce
  • 3 tbsp. Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
  • 3 tbsp. Dark Soy Sauce
  • 2 tsp. Crushed red chili peppers (optional)
  • 2 cups Fresh bean sprouts
  • ½ cup chopped Chinese chives
Instructions
  1. Boil a pot of water. Cook the noodles for 1-2 minutes, then drain and rinse. The noodles are already cooked and don't need to be cooked any longer than that.
  2. Heat up the oil in a large wok or pan.
  3. Add in the onion, garlic and ginger. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
  4. Add in the mushrooms and mock duck or seitan. Cook for around 5 minutes, until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates.
  5. Mix in the cooked and drained noodles. Stir to incorporate. Stir fry the noodles a bit.
  6. In a small bowl, mix together the sauces with the crushed chili peppers.
  7. Pour the sauce in to the noodle mixture. Stir well.
  8. Mix in the fresh bean sprouts.
  9. Stir fry another few minutes.
  10. Mix in half of the chopped chives.
  11. Garnish with the rest of the chopped chives.
  12. Serve with some chili paste on the side.
  13. Enjoy!

 

HongKongNoodles

 

Mushroom and Tofu Stir Fry in Black Bean Sauce

What do you do when everyone is hungry and it’s 7:30 pm? We had been grazing throughout the day, so hunger and the whole dinner concept dawned on us much later than a typical day. The big kid was begging for Chinese food. Of course, she was hoping for the take-out variety. The hubster suggested a stir fry. I kindly suggested he pick and chop the veggies – to which he turned down. Harumph.

Dinner still had to be made. I tossed some rice and water in a pot and peeked in the fridge. We had just been to the Korean market, so were flush with tofu and veggies. I had some chopped scallions and ginger left over from the scallion pancakes. Stir fry would work. I always have a variety of asian sauces around. I hoard them when I find them acceptable to eat. I picked up some yummy looking five-spice tofu when at HMart. I love when I find random kosher things there. I get giddy.  This five spice tofu comes already pressed and ready to serve. 
Dinner was ready in around 10 minutes. Ten points for me!



Mushroom and Tofu Stir Fry in Black Bean Sauce
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. vegetable oiil
1 tsp. sesame oil
3 scallions, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1.4 tbsp. ginger, chopped
1/2 pound of pressed tofu (five spice, or other marinated tofu) cubed
1 container cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 cup sugar snap peas
1.5-2 tbsp. black bean sauce
3 tsp. black soy sauce
1/2 cup vegetable broth mixed with 2 tsp. corn starch
Heat up the vegetable oil in a wok or large deep saute pan.
Add in the sesame oil when hot. Stir in the garlic and ginger. Let it get a bit fragrant and toss in half of the scallions.
Stir in the tofu, snap peas and the mushrooms. Cook for a few minutes. Maybe five.
Add in the last three ingredients. If you can’t find a kosher black bean sauce, you could substitute with some miso paste. As I mentioned before, I tend to hoard obscure kosher products when I find them – or I figure out how to make  them myself.

Add in the remaining chopped scallions and plate it up with some white rice.
Enjoy!
On a side note, anyone want to go in with me on a large quantity of  kosher fermented black beans? Big plans, folks, big plans….

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Scallion Pancakes

I have a guilty pleasure. I am not a huge fan of the Chinese take-out places, but whenever I go – I have to get one thing. Scallion pancakes. I shared an order with the family just the other night. But lately. every time we pick up these little greasy triangles from our local dive, I am left feeling a bit cheated. By the time it gets to our table, it is often lukewarm and chewy or soggy. Because it’s usually late on a Thursday night, it never tastes like it’s fresh or like someone cared how it tasted. I also thought about the price tag. It’s flour, water, scallions and oil people. It shouldn’t cost $5 for what amounts to two pancakes!

I have been wanting to make my own for a while. It’s really easy – a similar process to making paratha or malawach. It’s pretty quick and definitely worth your while.

Scallion Pancakes
Ingredients:

2 3/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup very hot water
kosher salt
a bunch of scallions – about 5
vegetable oil

Pour the sifted flour in to a large bowl.

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Pour the hot water in to the flour while stirring.

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Mix with a wooden spoon until you have some semblance of a dough.

Sprinkle your hands with flour and knead the dough until the dough is smooth and elastic.

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Cover the dough with a damp towel and let sit for 30 minutes.

While the dough is resting, you can wash and chop your scallions.

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Cut the dough in to 4 equal pieces.

Lightly brush oil on to a rolling board.

Roll out one of the pieces of dough. It should be very thin. Roll it out in to a rectangle.

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Brush the dough with some vegetable oil.

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Sprinkle the dough with some kosher salt and some of the chopped scallions.

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Roll up the dough in to a long snake.

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Cut the dough snake in half.

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Coil the dough snake in to a round snail.

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Roll out the snail in to a pancake.

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Fry the pancake in a small amount of oil. Lightly brown on both sides.

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Drain and slice in to wedges. Repeat the process with the other balls of dough or you can chill in the fridge and use later. You could also process up until the raw scallion pancake stage and freeze for later use.

Serve with a soy ginger dipping sauce (soy sauce, chopped/mashed ginger, chopped garlic and some rice vinegar). Enjoy!

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Vegetarian Yakisoba

This recipe is inspired by Mark Bittman and adapted from one of his recipes. I am addicted to cooking podcasts. I can often be found learning how to make obscure dishes while on the subway during my morning commute. While everyone else is playing Angry Birds or reading their Kindle, I am learning how to properly fillet a whole fish or spatchcock a chicken. I’m not complaining.

Today, I was catching up with Mark Bittman. He was preaching about the virtues of yakisoba. All I could think of are those commercials where they suggest that those heat & eat cups of Yakisoba bring families together. Anyhow, Mark Bittman had me at “fast food.” Aside from the ease of preparation and the fact that it’s hard to mess up, I like the flavors of the sauce and I had all the necessary ingredients at home. When the hubster came home and had a plateful, he declared it blogworthy.  So here it is.

Vegetarian Yakisoba 
Ingredients
adapted from Mark Bittman’s recipe

8-10 oz. Asian noodle – an egg noodle or gluten free soba is best
1 container of tofu – drained and sliced up
2 tbsp. chopped ginger
2 tbsp. chopped garlic
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup shredded cabbage
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 cup cut up broccoli
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped peppers
2 tbsp. chopped scallions

Sauce:
2 tbsp. ketchup
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce (I use a fish-free version)
2 tbsp. mirin or sugar
1 tbsp. sriracha or other hot sauce
2 tbsp. soy sauce

Marinate the drained tofu in some sesame oil and soy sauce for about 15 minutes.

Boil a pot of water and cook the noodles. Drain and set aside.

In a large wok, heat up the oil.

Add the ginger and garlic to the pan. Cook for 1 minutes. Add the tofu. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add in the rest of the veggies, except for the scallions.

Stir fry everything together for a few minutes.

In a small bowl, mix up the sauce ingredients.

Pour and mix them in to the vegetables.

Stir in the noodles.

Plate it up. Garnish with some chopped scallions.

Vegetarian Yakisoba

Enjoy!

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