Black Pepper Stir Fried Noodles

I cannot believe how fast this summer is flying by! I've tried two new recipes recently that I loved and I'm excited to share them with you. :) You'll get the first recipe today and the next one will be coming soon!

This first recipe is a yummy Asian noodle recipe-- Black Pepper Stir Fried Noodles. I modified the original recipe in a couple ways.  First, I added bean sprouts! From making Pad Thai I learned that you can add a ton of bean sprouts and when they cook in with everything else it is essentially impossible to distinguish them from the noodles. What this means is that you can get a large serving of what looks like just noodles, but it's actually half bean sprouts! More nutritious without you even noticing. Also, the original recipe called for udon noodles which I couldn't find so I used lo mein noodles and they worked great. So the lesson is that the exact noodle you use is flexible.

The black pepper sauce has lots of flavor but isn't overly spicy. If you are craving a big bowl of Asian noodle comfort, go for this. It comes together relatively quickly and it's quite tasty! 

Black Pepper Stir Fried Noodles

serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:
Black Pepper Sauce:

• 1/2 tablespoon black pepper (or freshly ground black peppercorns)-- [tablespoon is not a typo!]
• 5 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons mirin
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3-5 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 6 tablespoons water

Stir Fried Noodles

• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 8 ounces udon noodles (or lo mein noodles or rice noodles... even linguine if necessary)
• 1 bag of mung bean sprouts (mine was 12 ounces but  you could use a bit more or less depending on what you find)
• about 1/2 cup water
• 2-3 cups baby spinach leaves
• 1 pound extra firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cut into cubes (make sure to get out as much water as possible) [Note: You can substitute chicken if you prefer]
• sesame seeds for topping

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook for just a few minutes. They should be soft but not at all done. They will continue cooking later with the rest of the ingredients and you don't want them to end up over-cooked. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
2. Place all sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a large cast iron skillet (or nonstick skillet) over medium heat. Once hot and shining, add tofu. Cook tofu, turning occasionally, until all sides are lightly brown. This will probably take about 10 minutes. At this point add about 1 tablespoon of the sauce, 1 tablespoon of water, and 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil to the pan. Stir or shake the pan around to coat the tofu in the sauce. Because the pan is hot, the added sauce/water/oil should pretty much immediately sizzle and coat the tofu as you stir it around. Transfer the tofu to a bowl and set aside.
4. Heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil in the skillet over medium heat. Once heated, add noodles, bean sprouts, and remaining black pepper sauce. Use tongs to help move the noodles and bean sprouts around so they are all getting coated in sauce. Cook, stirring frequently (you want to avoid the noodles/sprouts sticking to the bottom of the pan), for about 5-10 minutes until noodles and sprouts are cooked through and soft. Add small amounts of water as necessary to help everything cook and to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat.
5. Add the spinach leaves and cooked tofu and stir to combine. The spinach leaves should wilt pretty quickly from the heat of the noodles.
6. Serve topped with sesame seeds.

recipe adapted from Pinch of Yum

Thai Peanut Noodle and Veggie Bowl

Have you been enjoying spring? After lots of snowy months is always exciting to feel the warmth of the sun again. With some warmer days last week I started craving salads again. This Thai noodle bowl with lots of vegetables and a delicious peanut sauce was a great way to satisfying that craving.

My love of peanut butter and Thai flavors is not new to this blog, and I've made similar recipes before (vegetables + some other ingredient + peanut sauce). What makes this different is the addition of cold noodles and lots of edamame, which really help to make this a full dinner that is quite satisfying. Bonus? This meal is very quick to make. Start boiling water for your noodles and prep everything else while the water comes to a boil and the noodles cook. Then it's time to eat!

I found this recipe on a blog I just recently discovered, Oh My Veggies. It is run by a few different people but features all vegetarian recipes. It also has meal plans like I used to do! I've been enjoying looking at everything on that site so expect to see more recipes from that source in the future. This particular Thai noodle bowl recipe was originally from the Oh She Glows Cookbook. Oh She Glows is another blog that's been one of my favorites for a few years.

I will definitely be making this again during the warmer months. It would make a great lunch as well! Enjoy!

Thai Peanut Noodle and Veggie Bowl

serves: 4

Recipe: Thai Peanut Noodle and Veggie Bowl

Kaitlyn's Notes:

• I couldn't find soba noodles, so I used whole wheat linguine instead.
• I doubled the amount of pasta (I used 8 ounces) to make larger dinner servings.
• I made 1.5 times the sauce, since I doubled the pasta. I recommend doing that if you also double the pasta and tend to like a lot of dressing on salads, otherwise it's probably not necessary.
• Baked tofu or chicken would make a great addition or substitute for some of the edamame.

Skillet Pasta with Sausage and Vegetables

This recipe is one that I first made probably 7 years ago.  At that point I made it fairly regularly, but at some point I forgot about it and it got lost among my recipes.  I happened to think of it a few weeks ago and I'm so glad I did, because it's delicious!  Really!

The idea is you cook the pasta in broth/water in the skillet with the rest of the ingredients.  This means you only have one pan and the whole meal comes together quickly.  It also means that the pasta soaks up a ton of flavor.  The original recipe just called for spinach, but I added mushrooms and bell pepper.  You can certainly add or substitute any other vegetables you have on hand.

We don't have pasta often, but in the future when we have pasta this is definitely the way I'll make it.  So much better then pasta with jarred pasta sauce, and not that much more difficult.

Skillet Pasta with Sausage and Vegetables
serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound pre-cooked chicken sausage (any variety), sliced
• 10 ounces mushrooms, brushed clean and sliced
• 1-2 bell peppers, sliced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 cups water
• 10 ounces pasta (such as small shells or penne)
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (I used ones that were not oil-packed but either is fine), chopped fine
• 6 ounces baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add sliced sausage, mushrooms, and bell peppers.  Cook until sausage is lightly browned and vegetables have released liquid, about 3-5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for another minute.
2. Add chicken broth, water, pasta, and sun-dried tomatoes to the skillet with the sausage and vegetables.  Increase heat to high and cook, stirring often, until  pasta is tender and liquid has thickened.  This will take about 15-20 minutes depending on your pasta.  Add more water or broth if you think it's getting too dry.
3. Stir in the spinach, in batches if necessary, and cook about 2 minutes until wilted.  
4. Remove skillet from heat.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and walnuts.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve!

recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated

Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad

This is a yummy pasta salad that I've made two times recently.  It's hearty enough for a main dish, and is a great way to eat lots of vegetables.  The dressing for this pasta salad is made with apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and lots of garlic and herbs.  It adds lots of delicious flavor to this simple dish.

I used a zucchini from our garden in this salad! I highly recommend using any produce from your garden for this salad.  And if you have fresh herbs in your garden, you should definitely use those for the dressing.  Last year my mother-in-law had some delicious lemon thyme in her garden that would go great with this (Lanie, if you have that again this year, definitely use it to make this!).

This is a great make-ahead salad, as the flavors develop even more over time.  I've found it's good cold, at room temperature, or even slightly warm.  I hope you get a chance to enjoy it before all the summer vegetables are gone!

Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad

serves: 4-6 as a main dish

INGREDIENTS:

For the dressing:

• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (I've used parsley, basil, thyme, oregano)

For the salad: *feel free to substitute different vegetables that you have!*

• 10 ounces whole wheat penne pasta (or pasta of choice-- I threw in some orzo I had as well)
• 3-4 medium squash (yellow and/or green),  halved and sliced (to yield about 5 cups cut up squash)
• 1 small bunch asparagus, ends trimmed and sliced into 1 inch segments
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1-2 cups cherry/grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 
• optional: goat cheese or Parmesan cheese for topping

DIRECTIONS:

1) Combine all the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well (or whisk together in a bowl).  Refrigerate until ready to use (the longer it sits, the more the flavors will combine and the better it will be).

2)  Bring water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.   *Save the cooking water!*

3)  While pasta is cooking, prep all the vegetables.  

4) Drain the pasta into a colander set inside a large pot (to save the cooking water).  Run cold water over the pasta to cool it down.  Bring the pot filled with cooking water to the stove and turn the heat on high.  Add the squash, asparagus, and frozen peas and cook for 2-4 minutes. You want the vegetables cooked, but still a bit crunchy- try not to overcook them!  Drain the vegetables and run cold water over them to stop the cooking and cool them down.

5) Combine pasta, cooked vegetables, tomatoes, and chickpeas in a large bowl.  Pour dressing over top and gently mix to combine.

6)  Serve topped with crumbled goat cheese or Parmesean cheese if desired (it's excellent either way).  Season with additional salt and pepper if desired.

(recipe barely adapted from edible perspective)

Warm Tortellini Salad

This is a great quick meal that is full of vegetables.  We don't tend to eat much pasta, but sometimes I have a real craving for it!  This warm tortellini salad is a great way to get your pasta fix while still eating lots of vegetables.  

While the water for the tortellini is boiling you can prep and start cooking all of the veggies.  By the time the tortellini is cooked dinner is served!  I served the warm tortellini and cooked vegetables over some mixed greens tossed with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  I liked it that way (the balsamic vinegar added a nice additional flavor), but it would also be great without the extra greens.  This would be amazing with some fresh tomatoes from the garden!

Warm Tortellini Salad

serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 10 ounces fresh tortellini (any variety)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 large cloves garlic, minced
• 4 large portobello mushrooms, halved and sliced
• 1 pound grape tomatoes, quartered
• 2 cups thawed frozen peas
• 6 ounces baby spinach leaves
• handful grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• salt + pepper
• OPTIONAL:  Mixed greens tossed with equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

1)  Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Once boiling,  add tortellini and cook according to package instructions.

2)  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender and have released moisture (about 5 minutes).  Add the tomatoes and peas and continue to cook until warmed and soft.  Add the spinach and use tongs to slowly toss to allow all the spinach to wilt.

3)  Add the tortellini and toss to combine.  Serve over mixed greens (if desired), topped with Parmesan and chopped walnuts.  Season with salt and pepper.

(recipe adapted from Good Housekeeping)