Plus this stir fried veggie loaded noodles is quick and easy to make, packed with tons of veggies and proteins and belly warming.

Skip straight to the recipe

You can easily use other proteins and veggies based on what you have in your fridge. Here are some substitutes to try:

• Tofu, paneer, tempeh or 2 scrambled eggs in lieu of the seitan
• Peanuts for the cashews
• Zucchini, squash, red or green bellpeppers, snow peas, red onions, asparagus and mushrooms. The possibilities are for real endless here.

For the noodles, I used whole wheat linguine but you can also opt for more authentic Chinese noodles, Hakka noodles or soba noodles.

Serve hot and be sure to scrape up the crispy bits from the bottom of the pan.

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Adapted moderately from The Kitchn’s Easiest Chicken Chow Mein.

Holy hot avocados. Until this summer, I hated avocados (and guacamole). After a taste of my friend Christina‘s guac (just to be polite) this summer, I’ve converted.  Especially when they are hot. I toss cubed handfuls into eggs with cheddar cheese (green eggs no ham) and into stir fries. The few friends I’ve shared this discovery with have all had the same response: “What happens to the avocado? Does it melt?” Nope. It gets nice and soft and even richer in taste. And it imparts that richness to the rest of the dish. So yes, holy hot avocados.

After a relaxing child-free, spa-filled weekend at the Lodge at Woodloch with Christina [A lovely surprise present for each of us from our husbands], I came home armed with recipe ideas and creative juices flowing. We watched a cooking demo using fresh ingredients with natural medicinal properties like shitake mushrooms, asparagus, watercress and leeks. Nathanial Whitmore, a herbalist from Hawley, Pennsylvania, was on hand to explain to explain fascinating details like how shitake mushrooms have natural immune boosting properties.

The best take away from the entire weekend was this easy recipe for a soba noodle stir-fry sauce. And a discovery that Hoisin sauce is not non-vegetarian after all (read the label though just to be sure). It’s a perfect blend of salty and sweet and pairs really well with nutty sesame oil. This has become my go-to weeknight meal – especialy since all of the sauce ingredients are always stocked in my fridge.

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I’ve been keeping Mac ‘n Cheese with Chili a secret from you for some time.  Mainly because it’s so so simple that I was embarrassed to share it with you.  And it involves a box and a can.  But I can’t in good conscience keep this combination of cheesy noodles, spicy soy protein and chewy, nutty kidney beans from you for any longer.

So why reveal this to you now you ask?  Well, I figure that if you’re celebrating Thanksgiving today, you could probably use a post-Thanksgiving meal that’s quick, comforting and hearty.  So here it is.  “Recipe” is far too grand a word for this two step Macaroni and Cheese with Chili.

Ready?  Don’t laugh.  Here it is:

First, make a box of macaroni and cheese according to the instructions on the box.  Second, mix in a can of Amy’s Organic Spicy Vegetarian Chili.  That’s it.  Seriously.  Enjoy hot!

Rajat was a little skeptical the first time I made this for dinner, but it’s become such a favorite that I’m sure he thinks it was his idea.  It’s also his “speciality” now.  I’m pretty positive that our very-soon-to-be-born baby will be eating this for dinner when Rajat’s on cooking duty.  But as long as I get a bowl too, I won’t be complaining.

Happy post-Thanksgiving!

I’m sending this over to the 17th My Legume Love Affair hosted by When My Soup Came Alive and started by Susan of the The Well Seasoned Cook.

For those of you who don’t like tofu, I want to make a case for it.  If you are already sold on tofu, skip to paragraph 2 below.  Saying that tofu has no flavor is like saying an uncooked chicken breast tastes gross.  I’ve never had one, but I’m assuming you have to season and cook a piece of chicken for it to taste good.  Tofu is no different.  It picks up the flavor of just about anything you mix it with or coat it with and the texture is suitable for pan frying, deep frying, steaming, sauteing and so on and on. I use it a lot in our dinners because sometimes just a bowl of pasta or just stir fried veggies isn’t enough. I need a little extra oomph to chew on, to fill my belly up, to get a protein fix. You can use it like you would use ground beef in chili.  You can substitute it for paneer, Indian farmer’s cheese, or potatoes for a healthier alternative.  You can crumble it up and substitute it for scrambled eggs.  The possibilities are quite endless.

These tofu medallions are a mix of crumbled, chunky tofu and pureed creamy tofu, peppery arugula, bread crumbs, garlic, Italian seasoning and nutty garlic rounded off with a sprinkle of red pepper for a little kick. I love nothing more than slurping up a big bowl of saucy spaghetti.  But adding a few tofu medallions on top gives a nice crunchy/chewy addition that’s light on the waistline and provides you with some needed protein.

Removing water from tofu: If you don’t remove the excess water from tofu, you can end up with really bland, watery tofu.  There are a few different methods that I use to drain the water depending on how much time I have:

1 – The Long Method: Place the block of tofu on a plate with another plate on top it and a heavy-ish object (like a sugar bowl). Don’t weigh it down too much because you don’t the tofu to crumble.  Leave it to drain and periodically dump the water.  After about 30 minutes or so, place the tofu between two paper towels and gently squeeze out any remaining water.

2 – The Quick Method: Wrap the block of tofu in two paper towels.  Holding it over the sink, gently squeeze with both hands until all of the water comes out.

I scoured the pantry for something that could check all of the required boxes.  What do you make to satisfy late night cravings?

I bookmarked this recipe from The Kitchn earlier that day for Sesame-Garlic Soba Noodles with Fried Egg.  I’ve raved to you before here, here, and here about my love for the thick, chewy texture of buckwheat soba noodles so I’ll spare you.  In case I haven’t mentioned though, they are a great late night or busy evening meal because they cook in 4-5 minutes. Tossed with a scrambled egg, sweet peas, garlic and chili flakes and crunchy sesame seeds, this 10 minute meal was just what I needed to satiate my late night hunger.

Here are a few other soba noodle recipes to enjoy:

Soba Noodles and Tofu in Cilantro-Tamarind Sauce

Saucy Soba Noodle Stir Fry

Soupy Soba Noodles

Quick is high on my list of redeemable recipe qualities.  Although, it’s right up there with tasty and healthy.  This sometimes makes for a challenging recipe hunt.  I picked up a few packs of MTR vermicelli noodles a few weeks back for experimenting with vermicelli style upma, or semiya upma.  As I started making the noodles though, I decided the taste would really benefit from a splash of soy sauce and chili garlic hot sauce.  The result was spicy, soy spiked noodles mixed with fresh (I use this word loosely since I did use frozen peas) veggies and topped off with crunchy cashews.  I’m going to classify this as “Indian Chinese” since anything that mixes mustard seeds with soy sauce seems a little bit Indian, a little bit Chinese to me.

This recipe is great because it’s a real “clean out you vegetable crisper” recipe – you can add cabbage, bell peppers, or broccoli to this – really whatever you find in the fridge.  Let me know if you think of any other good add ons.  

For those of you who are curious, upma is a South Indian dish that’s commonly served for breakfast. There are many different varieties and methods, but one common variety is made using suji or semolina, durum wheat. We have it more often as a light dinner or lunch. You can find some tasty recipes for the different varieties here and here and one of my all time favorites made using cous cous here.

I’m sending this recipe over to Mahimaa’s 15 Minute Cooking at Spices Etc.

Recipes that can be transformed from one dish into another and that hold up well as leftovers are really appealing to my schedule.  I usually leave home early in the morning and don’t return until after dark, sometimes toting along more work.  So, recipes like these which make for a quick and easy weeknight meal using a combination of fresh and prepared ingredients are lifesavers.  

On Wednesday night, I stopped into Russo’s on 7th Avenue and picked up a loaf of fresh bread, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, a package of whole wheat linguine, a jar of spicy marinara sauce, one bunch of fresh basil and a wedge of pecorino romano.  I added in a few ingredients waiting in my kitchen to be used – one bunch of mint, a handful of pine nuts and a few dried red chili peppers.  

The result was a spicy pesto sauce which yielded 3 dishes – a hearty dinner, a quick snack and a savory breakfast.  Thus, Spicy Pesto 3 Ways. Here’s the first: Whole Wheat Pasta with Spicy Pesto Marinara.  Stay tuned for the other two.

Another spicy pasta dish you might enjoy is Roasted Tomato Vindaloo Sauce.

Earlier this week, I posted a recipe for a really easy stir-fry sauce with the forewarning that it’s really saucy.  It was so saucy and flavor packed that I thought it might work well as a soup and gave it a shot with the stir-fry leftovers.  As we watched President Obama address the nation, the only sound in our living room was “Slurp.  Slurp.  Slurrrrrp.”  We drenched buckwheat soba noodles in the broth-y sauce and veggies.  This is the kind of soup you’ll need a fork AND a spoon to fully enjoy.  

Here are some other soba noodle recipes that you might enjoy:

Soba Noodles in Green Curry Sauce

Soba Noodles and Tofu in Cilantro-Tamarind Sauce

Last Sunday, after a low key, relaxing spend-the-night with friends in Warwick, NY, we wanted a low key, relaxing dinner to cap off the weekend.  Stir fry is great because we just gather a few of our favorite veggies, throw them into the wok, pan fry or *grill a block of tofu and hit the entire mixture with a simple brown sauce or a curry sauce.  There’s always leftovers and they’re the good kind, meaning they get more delicious the next day.

I try to impose a Rule of Three when we pick out the veggies b/c otherwise every piece of appealing fresh produce finds its way into our wok, but R always manages to skirt my rule so we end up with about 5 different veggies.  We picked up romanesco broccoli at the market, which I’ve been really curious to try since reading about on 101 Cookbooks (my review on romanesco: crunchy, fresh, slightly nutty flavor that’s different from broccoli, easier to cook with than a full head of broccoli and really pretty too).  You can use any of your favorite veggies.  The result was a saucy mix of chewy noodles and fresh, still slightly crunchy vegetables well coated in green curry coconut sauce to gently ease us into another Monday.

1. Heat about ~1 tbspn. of oil in a wok.  Cook the onions and green chili until the onions are translucent.  Add the romanescos, red bell pepper and mushrooms and cover cooking on medium heat.
2. In the meantime, pan fry the tofu in a hot skillet with a little oil periodically turning the cubes until golden brown on two sides.
3. Add the tofu and the cherry tomatoes to the wok.  I like the veggies to be a little crunchy and not wilted.  So, if the veggies are starting to lose their crisp, fresh look then turn off the heat until you’re ready to add the noodles and sauce. 
4. Cook the soba noodles according to the instructions on the box.
5. In a small bowl, mix the coconut milk, green curry paste and soy sauce and pour into the wok.  Add salt as needed (I add about 1 tpsn. of salt to cut the creaminess of the coconut milk).
6. Add the cooked soba noodles and mix so the noodles are well coated. Cook for another ~10 minutes on medium heat uncovered.  Garnish with cilantro.

*We often grill our tofu on our Cuisinart grill – it’s a healthy alternative to pan frying because it uses less oil and works really well with tofu that has been frozen then thawed.  If you decide to do this, squeeze the excess water out of the tofu, then quarter the block.  Lightly spray the hot grill plates with olive oil cooking spray and grill the tofu until golden.  After it cools, cut along the horizontal grill lines into bite size blocks.

**There are some shortcuts that I believe are shameless.  For example, I do not make my green curry paste from scratch.  We keep Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste on hand.   Keep in mind that some green curry pastes are spicier than others.  You might want to start off with about 1 tbpn. then work your way up by tasting the curry sauce before you add it to the veggies/tofu.

Grocery:
2 cups cilantro leaves
1/2 cup walnuts, roasted
3 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno pepper

Staples:
1/4 cup EVOO

Pulse 2 cups of cilantro leaves (stems removed), 1/2 cup of roasted walnuts, 3 cloves of garlic, and 1 jalapeno pepper in your food processor.  Drizzle about 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil into the food processor while it’s on (being careful to keep all bodily appendages away from the food processor of course!).  Add the cheese and pulse until well mixed.  Add salt to taste.

*Regular pesto sauce will likely not alter the taste of the Vindaloo Pasta Sauce too much because the pesto sauce mostly adds texture and creaminess from the cheese that’s in it…features that are common to all pesto. So you could try using just good ole pesto or even blend some fresh cilantro into the pesto sauce – let me know how it goes.