Rainbow Soba Noodle Bowls

You would think, with the full day spent at home, I would feel like I have plenty of time to spare now. But somehow, that’s not the case. When I think about my time two months ago, I find myself wondering how I did it all—schlepping from one place to the next. We have been staying busy, mostly with house projects, which has likely benefited my sanity.

Stir fry is a go-to for me when I need dinner fast, and stir fry doesn’t have to be served over rice. This dish is essentially a stir fry, but soba noodles transform it into something different. Quick and easy—but also full of colorful veggies—this has been a regular lately. Like most stir fries I make, this one is cooked with soy sauce, rice wine, and sambal oelek (that chili garlic paste you’ll find in the ethnic food isle in the grocery store). It’s a salty-acidic-spicy sauce combination that isn’t just limited to this recipe: use it any time you’re sautéing veggies and want a little extra punch.

Rainbow Soba Noodle Bowls

Published April 30, 2020 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 4   |    Active Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

1/2 package soba noodles

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 zucchini, roughly chopped

1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips

2 large carrots, sliced into matchsticks

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch ginger, minced

1 1/2 cup shelled fresh or frozen shelled soy beans (mukimame)

4-5 leaves dino (or lacinato) kale, roughly chopped

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon cooking rice wine

2 tablespoon rice vinegar

1/4 teaspoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon sambal oelek (chili garlic sauce)

1 green onion, sliced for garnish

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions:

1. Cook soba noodles according to instructions on package. When noodles are al dente, strain through a colander and set aside.
2. While noodles cook, sauté vegetables: heat coconut oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or wok. When oil glistens, add zucchini, bell pepper, carrots, ginger, and garlic, and sauté until zucchini just starts to turn become tender. Add soy beans.
3. In a jar, combine soy sauce, cooking rice wine, cornstarch, and samba olek. Shake or whisk to combine.
4. Pour half of sauce into skillet, and allow sauce to bubble for a few minutes. Sauce will begin to thicken.
5. Add cooked noodles to the pan, along with chopped kale. Using tongs, mix everything to incorporate the vegetables into the noodles.
6. Add remaining sauce to pan, and cook for 3-5 more minutes, staring occasionally to ensure everything is coated in sauce. Remove from heat, and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Serve.

Broccolini & Tofu in Chili Garlic Sauce

Here is a recipe I’ve been cooking a lot lately, because it’s quite easy and also checks all the boxes (veggies, protein, lots of flavor). Though, I’ve learned some lessons along the way:

• Broccoli rabe and broccolini are not interchangeable. While they seem similar at first glance, broccoli rabe is more like mustard greens—spicy and leafy, and the flavor overwhelms this dish. Opt for broccolini, and if you can’t find it, go for regular broccoli.

• A clean towel from your pantry is just fine for drying your tofu. I’ve never gotten my tofu very dry before, because we don’t keep paper towels in the house and I always hesitated to use a kitchen towel. But in the January edition of Bon Appetit the suggested a clean towel in their tofu recipe, so I went for it, and now I’m not really sure what my previous hesitation was all about. (And yes, dry your tofu! It’s how you’ll get those nice edges!)

• Add the garlic to the pan (not the marinade) for maximum roasted garlic flavor. Add the marinade to the pan at the end of cooking for that sauciness that’s so delicious. While we’re talking about sauce, here’s something else: broccolini is ideal for sauce, because it has all these nooks and crannies that soak up sauce (in other words: bites of broccolini are extra flavorful).

Broccolini & Tofu in Chili Garlic Sauce

Published January 21, 2020 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 4 with rice   |    Active Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

For the marinade/sauce:

3 tablespoons soy sauce

4 tablespoons sambal olek (chili-garlic sauce)

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

For the stir fry:

1 fourteen ounce block extra-firm tofu

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bunch broccolini or 1 head broccoli, chopped into 1-2 inch pieces (note: I do not recommend broccoli rabe for this dish, which has a much stronger flavor that broccolini, and overwhelms the dish)

1 teaspoon coconut oil

2 green onions, sliced, plus more for garnish

2 tablespoons minced cilantro, plus more for garnish

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

For serving: cooked brown rice

Directions:

1. Drain water from tofu, and wrap in a clean kitchen towel to remove excess liquid. Cube tofu into bite-sized pieces.
2. Combine all ingredients for sauce in a medium-sized bowl or pyrex, and stir. Add tofu to sauce, cover, and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes (or all day, until ready to cook).
3. When ready to make stir fry: heat coconut oil in a large skillet or wok or medium heat. Add minced garlic, and cook until it just begins to brown.
4. Using a fork or slotted spoon, remove tofu from sauce, allowing excess to drip off. Place in pan (there may be some splattering). Cook tofu for 5 minutes, until tofu begins to brown on one side. Use a spatula to turn tofu over, and cook 3-4 more minutes.
5. Add chopped broccolini to pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Drizzle remaining marinade over stir fry, along with sliced green onions. Stir briefly, and continue to cook for a few more minutes until broccolini is bright green and tender.
6. Sprinkle with cilantro and sesame seeds.
7. Serve: Scoop prepared brown rice into bowls, and top with stir fry. Add additional green onions, cilantro, and sesame seeds as garnish.

Healthy Moo Shu Stir Fry

Update - 4/23/2017: I've been working on my photography, and since this is one of my most popular recipes, I wanted to give the images a revamp! These pictures are new, but the recipe is the same as it's always been. (Original image is at bottom of post for reference).

Usually, I enjoy riding my bike to work. As you pull around a corner and head down a hill, there's no better word than freedom. Do you remember biking around the block as a kid? Just free to roll? Why leave those moments to the kids? When it's Friday afternoon, and you roll out of the office parking lot, the wind in your face, you'll know what I mean. 

I'm writing this post because a few weeks ago I took a spill that landed me face first on the pavement. The asphalt ripped through my (brand new) down coat, my gloves, and scraped up my arms. My helmet saved my head, my sunglasses saved my face -- thank goodness (not to sound all "mom" on you, buuuut Wear your helmet!!). 

A lot of people offered me a ride home that day, and I almost took someone up on it when, after getting so many offers, I started to wonder if maybe I shouldn't ride home. The lazy little voice inside of me liked the sound of a warm car, and someone else at the wheel. The more I thought about it, the more my apprehension grew, until my lazy voice was coupled with my what-if voice, and suddenly I could hear nothing in my mind but whispers of "Warm caaaar..." "Nice and safe...." "Warm car....." "Don't you fall agaaaaain".

Here's the thing: they offered me a ride because I was flustered, and they care. And that was really nice. But what no one can know, unless they can hear your thoughts, is the power of getting up and starting again. When I was a gymnast, this was the golden rule: if you fall, you get right back and try again. Otherwise, that what-if voice will only gain power and become a tyrant you can't ignore.

At first, I rode terribly slow and cautiously. My eyes analyzed every bit of pavement in front of me: Is that the rock I hit? Oh! don't hit that rock. Go way over there, away from that sand pit.

And then, anxious to get through a green light before it turned red, I cautiously peddled a little faster. After a few blocks, I realized I was free again -- all of that negative energy leaving my body with each exhale. It's just my bike. I know how to bike. I love to bike. 

And hey, on the bright side, that crash motivated me to finally get a massage I've desperately been wanting. (Thanks, whiplash!) 

When you fall, get right back up. Find glory in that freedom. And then, find something delicious to eat -- something like this moo shu. 😉

Healthy Moo Shu Stir Fry

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    |   

Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

Pork:
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or coconut aminos
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1 pound boneless pork loin OR chicken thighs, cut into 1 x 1/4-inch strips (ask your butcher to do it for you!)
Stir Fry:
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/2 cup (1-inch) sliced green onions
• 3 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons ginger, minced
• 4 cups shredded napa cabbage
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
Sauce:
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce or coconut aminos
• 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder
• 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Mix the first three ingredients for the pork/chicken in a shallow pyrex or ziplock bag. Place the pork in the marinade, and either close the ziplock or cover the pyrex. Place in the fridge and allow to marinate for at least 4 hours.
2. When ready to prepare the stir fry, remove the pork/chicken from the fridge and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Once oil sizzles, add the pork/chicken the pan. Cook on pork pieces on one side for 5 minutes, stir and flip on the other side until the pork/chicken is cooked through. Remove pork/chicken from pan.
3. Heat the additional tablespoon of coconut oil. Add the garlic, ginger, green onions, and mushrooms to the pan. Allow to cook for 3 minutes. Add the cabbage, carrots and the bean sprouts. Stir, and cook for 3 more minutes.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs. Add to the pan, and use a wooden spoon to stir the eggs occasionally, just enough to scramble the eggs.
5. Add the pork/chicken back to the pan. In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the sauce. Drizzle the sauce into the pan, and stir everything until it was well coated. Cook everything for 5 more minutes.