Noodle Bowl

Most of you know by now that I love Asian food. I also love noodles, so the combination of the two makes me really happy. When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it out. It is delicious! It was a great balance between the vegetables and the noodles with great Asian flavors of ginger, soy sauce, garlic and vinegar-  This meal is full of umami, which is the best descriptor for this meal.

Don't skim on the Soba noodles; they really cannot be replaced by pasta. I found them at Whole Foods (No, they weren't at Trader Joes). I hope y'all enjoy this recipe as much as I did!

Ingredients

The wok

I love vegetables

Steaming veggies

Adding in the noodles

Stirred up so the kale is on top!

Soba Noodle Bowl with Kale and Mushrooms

Ingredients

6 ounces of Soba (buckwheat) noodles
1 tbsp of olive oil
1tbsp of sesame oil (or 2 tbsp of olive oil)
1 package of brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
2 cups of white button mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
2 cups of kale, stemmed and chopped
2 small zucchini, quartered and sliced
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp minced ginger
2 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tsp agave syrup
2 tsp sesame seeds

Feel free to add other vegetables, too- I added broccoli and cabbage

Directions

1. Heat a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes. Add oil to the pan and swirl to coat. Add the sprouts and cabbage and 1 tbsp of water, stir fry 3-5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, kale, zucchini (and any other vegetables you add in) and another tbsp of water, stir fry 5-7 minutes.

2. Cook the noodles in boiling water, according to the instructions on the package, being careful not to overcook.

3. Stir in the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vinegar and agave to the vegetable mix. Add the noodles to the pan as well. Cook, tossing for 2 minutes. Top with sesame seeds and serve.

Enjoy!
                           


                     




Adapted from: Self Magazine

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Pancetta and Gorgonzola

This year, Will and I hosted Thanksgiving at our house. Thank goodness he took the pressure off of me and smoked the turkey! I was able to focus on the stuffing and side items. I wanted to make something that we don't normally have. I love brussels sprouts and had been seeing a lot of salads made with them lately, so I decided to give it a try. I did some research and found a couple of different recipes and created my own. I absolutely loved it and think you will too! 

It was salty, crunchy, sweet and savory- it had it all! I would eat this any day of the week.

Of note, I made a large batch for Thanksgiving. The recipe I will provide will be enough for about 6 servings as a side item.

Ingredients

Brussels Sprouts from Trader Joes come on a stalk!

Off the stalk

Dressing

 Sizzling pancetta

       I chopped my almonds with a hand mixer 

            

Layer in ingredients to the shaved brussels sprouts

                

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Pancetta and Gorgonzola

Ingredients
About 3 dozen Brussels Sprouts
1 cup Gorgonzola cheese
1 cup Almonds
4-6 ounces of Pancetta + grease
S + P to taste
1/2 cup of Olive Oil
2 tsp Dijon mustard
juice of 1 Orange
juice of 2 Lemons
1 large Shallot, minced

Directions

1. Place pancetta in a medium sized pan over medium heat until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Place on a paper towel to soak up excess fat and then set aside. Save about 2 tbsp of the fat from cooking the pancetta and set aside.

2. Wash the brussel sprouts with water and pay dry. Use the mandolin to shave them being sure to leave behind the "bases" or stems.

3. Chop the almonds with a hand emulsion blender (a food processor would probably be overkill) until coarsely chopped.

4. Once the pancetta has cooled, add it to the shaved brussels sprouts. In addition, layer in the almonds and gorgonzola cheese. Refrigerate.

5. For the dressing, mince the shallot and add the dijon mustard, lemon and orange juice. Slowly add in the olive oil and then the pancetta grease, whisking to form an emulsion. Season with salt and pepper (I was pretty generous). Refrigerate.

6. Toss the salad with the dressing when ready to serve.

Enjoy!


Adapted from Pinch of Yum