Lo Mein with Tofu

I'm pretty sure that when I tell Kevin we are having tofu for dinner, his heart sort of sinks. That's okay with me, because I really enjoy eating tofu, and I think it's a nice alternative to chicken or beef. This recipe is really easy, and the flavor combination is perfect.

An ingredient lesson:

One of the key ingredients is Mirin, which is sweetened sake. If you don't want this to be a sweet dish, I supposed you could use regular sake or dry sherry (which is often a sub for sake, in Asian dishes), but I'm not sure how it will affect the flavor. If Mirin is MIA from your cabinet, or you want to be able to monitor the sugar content of your dinner, you could always use dry sherry (or sake), and add a couple of teaspoons of brown or granulated sugar, to fake the flavors of the dish. I think the subtle sweetness is definitely essential to the dish, but anything is worth a try! Wondering where to find Mirin? Look no further than the Asian section at your grocery store. I found it at Stop and Shop, so it can't be that mysterious!



Maybe you should make this... If you like tofu. Kevin probably gives this 2 Bowls, but I give it 4. The tofu was delish, but it was tofu...

Lo Mein with Tofu

Although lo mein is traditionally made with Chinese egg noodles, here we substitute whole-wheat linguine. Pan-frying the tofu gives it a crisp exterior.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 cups)


1 (14-ounce) package firm water-packed tofu, drained and cut crosswise into 4 (1-inch-thick) pieces
8 ounces whole-wheat linguine
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine)
1 1/2 tablespoons less-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
3/4 cup vertically sliced onion
2 cups shredded cabbage
2 cups peeled, thinly diagonally sliced carrot
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups fresh bean sprouts
1/4 cup chopped green onions

1. Place tofu in a single layer on several layers of paper towels. Cover tofu with several more layers of paper towels, and top with a cast-iron skillet or other heavy pan. Let stand for 30 minutes. Discard paper towels.

2. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente; drain. Combine pasta, sesame oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; toss. Set aside.

3. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper evenly over tofu. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add tofu to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove from pan; cut into bite-sized pieces. Combine oyster sauce and next 3 ingredients (through vinegar) in a small bowl, stirring well.

4. Heat a wok or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion; stir-fry 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Add cabbage, carrot, and garlic; stir-fry 2 minutes or until cabbage wilts. Reduce heat to medium; stir in tofu and vinegar mixture, tossing to coat. Add pasta and bean sprouts; toss. Cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with green onions.

CALORIES 397 ; FAT 15.4g (sat 1.3g,mono 8.8g,poly 4.1g); CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 248mg; CARBOHYDRATE 55.1g; SODIUM 736mg; PROTEIN 18.2g; FIBER 9g; IRON 4mg


Cooking Light, APRIL 2010

Chapchae (Noodles with Beef and Mixed Vegetables)

I cook with beef so seldom, but I went to a great meat market the other day, so I decided to bite the bullet, and create a beef dish. Kevin loves all things stir-fried, so I figured a beef and noodle dish would be well received. Well, I was right. My family sucked this down, and wanted me to make it again immediately. The only thing I changed in this recipe,was that I used non-fried ramen noodles, and I used all the veggies I had on hand, as opposed to mushrooms and spinach. It was a winner. If you haven't made a stir fry with noodles, you need to go for it. Rice is a thing of the past!




Make this. 5 Bowls.

Chapchae (Noodles with Beef and Mixed Vegetables)

Chapchae is the most popular noodle dish in Korea and features cellophane noodles stir-fried in sesame oil with beef and vegetables. This version weighs in at less than 400 calories per serving and just over 10 grams of fat.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 cups)

Beef:
1 teaspoon cornstarch
8 ounces eye of round steak, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons sambal oelek or Thai chile paste
1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
Cooking spray
Noodles:
1 (3.75-ounce) package uncooked bean threads (cellophane noodles)
Vegetables:
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
5 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 6 ounces mushrooms)
1 cup (2-inch) diagonally sliced green onions
1 cup (2-inch) julienne-cut carrot
1 (10-ounce) bag fresh spinach
Remaining ingredients:
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

To prepare beef, sprinkle cornstarch over beef; toss to combine. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce and next 4 ingredients (1 tablespoon soy sauce through 3 garlic cloves); toss well to coat. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add beef mixture; stir-fry 3 minutes or until done. Remove mixture from pan. Cover and keep warm.

To prepare noodles, pour boiling water over noodles; let stand 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain. Snip noodles several times with kitchen shears.

To prepare vegetables, wipe skillet or wok clean with paper towels. Heat 1 teaspoon sesame oil and vegetable oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add red pepper and 5 garlic cloves; stir-fry 30 seconds. Add mushrooms, onions, and carrot; stir-fry 3 minutes. Add half of spinach; stir-fry 2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Add remaining spinach; stir-fry 2 minutes or until spinach wilts.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Add beef mixture and noodles to pan, stirring well to combine. Combine 1/3 cup soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon sesame oil, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over noodle mixture; stir well to combine. Cook over medium-low heat 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

CALORIES 372 (26% from fat); FAT 10.9g (sat 2.2g,mono 4g,poly 3.6g); IRON 5.5mg; CHOLESTEROL 51mg; CALCIUM 102mg; CARBOHYDRATE 41.3g; SODIUM 1020mg; PROTEIN 26.1g; FIBER 5g

Cooking Light, MARCH 2003

Sukiyaki Style Mixed Grill with Chicken Char Siu

From Wikipedia:

Sukiyaki: It consists of meat (usually thinly sliced beef) slowly cooked or simmered at the table, alongside vegetables and other ingredients, in a shallow iron pot in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, and mirin. Generally sukiyaki is a single dish for the colder days of the year and it is commonly found at bōnenkai, Japanese year-end parties.

Chicken Char Siu: Chinese Barbecued Chicken.



I made 2 different dishes last night, simply because I was trying to use up the produce I had in the house, and because they both sounded delicious. I didn't realize that one was a Japanese dish, and one was Chinese, but hey, I'm a tolerant type of girl, so I can dig it. Anyway, These are both fairly quick to make, despite the peeling, slicing, and dicing that was involved. The sukiyaki was a vegetarian dish, and was full of veggies, potatoes, and pasta. It was so delicious - super high in flavor, with a perfect amount of salty sweetness. We all loved it. Even Jonah gobbled it down. The ramen/Chinese noodles were an excellent addition. I had never seen non-friend ramen before, so this was a really exciting ingredient for me.

The chicken was also really tasty. It is a recipe that is meant to be made on skewers, but since I didn't have any, I just cut up the chicken and cooked it in 1-inch pieces. It came out really tasty and moist, and was a very nice addition to the sukiyaki. I will definitely make both of these again, and I would be interested to make the Char Siu on skewers, and serve it to company, as an appetizer. It was a seriously successful dinner, according to the family. I love when everyone loves dinner!




Try this one. We all gave it 5 Bowls!

Sukiyaki-Style Mixed Grill


Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup vegetable mixture and 1 cup noodles)


1 medium zucchini (about 6 ounces)
1 medium carrot (about 3 ounces)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
1 (6-ounce) package presliced portobello mushrooms
1 medium red onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices (about 1/2 pound)
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch strips (about 6 ounces)
1 medium peeled sweet potato, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 6 ounces)
5 (1/8-inch-thick) slices peeled fresh ginger
1 cup sake (rice wine)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
2 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
4 cups hot cooked Chinese-style noodles (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)

Cut zucchini and carrot lengthwise into quarters; cut each quarter crosswise in half. Set aside.

Heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil to skillet; swirl to coat bottom of pan. Add zucchini; saut� over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until browned. Place zucchini in a bowl; set aside. Add 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil to skillet; swirl to coat. Add mushrooms; saut� 2 minutes or until browned. Add mushrooms to zucchini; set aside. Add 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil to skillet; swirl to coat. Add red onion and bell pepper; saut� 5 minutes or until browned. Place red onion mixture in a bowl; set aside. Add 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil to skillet; swirl to coat. Add carrot and sweet potato; saut� 2 minutes or until browned. Add to red onion mixture.

Add ginger to skillet; saut� 30 seconds. Stir in sake, 1/4 cup water, soy sauce, and sugar; scrape skillet to loosen browned bits. Add red onion mixture; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until tender. Combine cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water in a bowl; stir well. Add cornstarch mixture and zucchini mixture to skillet. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in green onions and sesame oil. Serve over noodles.


CALORIES 376 (11% from fat); FAT 4.5g (sat 0.7g,mono 1.1g,poly 2g); IRON 4.2mg; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 55mg; CARBOHYDRATE 73.2g; SODIUM 418mg; PROTEIN 10.7g; FIBER 5.9g

Cooking Light, MARCH 1997
Try this. It's a 5 Bowler!

Chicken Char Siu


Brought by Chinese immigrants to Hawaii, this dish is typically made with baby back ribs. Skinless, boneless chicken thighs are a tender and tasty substitute with less fat.


Yield: 9 servings (serving size: 2 skewers)


1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 18 strips
Cooking spray

Combine all ingredients except the cooking spray; marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours.

Preheat broiler.

Thread 1 chicken strip onto each of 18 (6-inch) skewers, reserving marinade. Place skewers on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 6 minutes. Turn skewers over; baste with reserved marinade. Broil 6 minutes or until done.


CALORIES 108 (26% from fat); FAT 3.1g (sat 0.8g,mono 0.9g,poly 0.8g); IRON 0.9mg; CHOLESTEROL 63mg; CALCIUM 10mg; CARBOHYDRATE 4.1g; SODIUM 241mg; PROTEIN 15.2g; FIBER 0.1g

Cooking Light, MARCH 2005

Sesame Tofu Stir Fry Over Brown Rice (or Soba Noodles)

I really want my family to like tofu. I mean, it's such a healthy, easy thing to make, and it is incredibly versatile. I know I've been a bit stir-fry crazy lately, but I had a block of tofu in the fridge, and wanted to use it before I lost my motivation. This recipe was really just for inspiration - I didn't follow it particularly well, in that I changed all the veggies and tweaked the sauce a bit, but the sauce essentially stayed the same. It was an easy dish to whip up, and I really liked it, but Kevin summed up his feelings, by stating, "This is good... for tofu." So, I guess what it comes down to, is that my family doesn't have any love for this meatless wonder. I personally found this to be a great meatless meal. The tofu has a great texture, and a really nice flavor, without being overly salty. I wish that I had made it over brown rice, because I missed that part of it, but honestly, when I started making the meal, I wasn't exactly sure which recipe I wanted to use, so I went with soba noodles, in case I decided to go in the lo mein direction. Anyway, I am going to keep trying tofu, because I like it, and Kevin doesn't hate it. Hey, they say you need to give a child a food TEN times before they accept and love it. Maybe husbands are the same way?




Sesame Tofu Stir-Fry over Rice

Be careful when stir-frying sesame seeds as they tend to pop and splatter. If you can't find black sesame seeds, use light sesame seeds instead.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup rice and 1 1/2 cups mushroom mixture)

1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds (I used toasted - didn't have black)
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 (1-pound) package firm or extrafirm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 teaspoons peanut oil (I used canola)
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
Cooking spray
4 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 3/4 pound) (I used carrots, yellow zucchini, red pepper, and onions)
3 cups (2-inch) slices asparagus (about 1 pound)
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee)
2 cups cooked long-grain brown rice (I used soba noodles)

Combine sesame seeds and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add the tofu cubes; toss gently to coat. Combine oils in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu; stir-fry 5 minutes or until tofu is golden. This definitely took me longer than 5 minutes, and it really stuck to my pan, making it next to impossible to clean. I think next time, I might spray the pan, prior to adding the oil. Remove tofu from pan; keep warm.

Return pan to heat; coat with cooking spray. I used a totally new pan, because I had so many veggies, and wanted to use the wok. Add mushrooms; stir-fry 3 minutes or until mushrooms begin to brown. Add asparagus; stir-fry 4 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Reduce heat to medium; stir in green onions.

Combine broth and next 4 ingredients (broth through garlic sauce). Add broth mixture to pan; remove from heat (sauce will thicken). Add tofu and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss gently to combine. Serve over rice.

CALORIES 423 (38% from fat); FAT 18g (sat 2.7g,mono 5.4g,poly 8.8g); IRON 15.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 853mg; CARBOHYDRATE 43.1g; SODIUM 737mg; PROTEIN 26.3g; FIBER 8.5g

Cooking Light, MARCH 2004

Sesame Chicken Lo Mein

Who doesn't love sesame chicken? When we go to a Chinese restaurant, Kevin often orders it, but specifies "white meat," and "sauteed, not fried." Otherwise, it's just a really greasy, fatty meal, which doesn't sit so well. Anyway, I found this recipe, and was really excited about it. Plus, it was in Cooking Light, and that's my lucky magazine, so I had to try it. This is a really easy, pretty, quick, and tasty meal. It is supposed to be made with pork, but I used cut up chicken breasts, and would even try it with tofu next time. The flavor is quite good, but it is not really comparable with sesame chicken. First of all, the recipe called for only a teaspoon of sesame seeds. Now, I recognize that this was a "light" recipe, but I'm not sure if the sesame seeds were a great place to skimp. In addition, and this was my fault, my lo mein noodles didn't cook all that well, and ended up clumping together like crazy. In my last Chinese noodle dish, I used udon noodles, and I think those were much easier. Plus, they were whole wheat, which always bodes well, in my book. Anyway, this is a tasty recipe, and definitely a keeper, but I think it needs a tad bit of tweaking, to live up to the real sesame chicken!





Try it!

Sesame Pork (or Chicken) Lo Mein


For variety, use shrimp or chicken in place of the pork and chopped red bell pepper instead of mushrooms.


Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups)


8 ounces uncooked lo mein noodles or vermicelli
6 tablespoons dry sherry
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon bottled minced garlic
1 tablespoon bottled minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 teaspoons dark sesame oil, divided
12 ounces pork tenderloin, trimmed and sliced into thin strips
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Cooking spray
3/4 cup snow peas, halved crosswise
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrot
1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted
1 cup diagonally cut green onions

Prepare the noodles according to package directions; drain.

Combine sherry and the next 6 ingredients (through red pepper) in a medium bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and pork; toss to coat.

Combine broth and cornstarch, stirring with a whisk.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork mixture to pan, and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove pork using a slotted spoon. Add peas, carrot, and mushrooms to pan; cook 2 minutes. Stir in broth mixture; cook 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly.

Stir in noodles, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, pork, and sesame seeds. Sprinkle with green onions. Serve immediately.


CALORIES 300 (17% from fat); FAT 5.5g (sat 1.2g,mono 2.2g,poly 1.7g); IRON 3.5mg; CHOLESTEROL 37mg; CALCIUM 18mg; CARBOHYDRATE 39.9g; SODIUM 469mg; PROTEIN 18.2g; FIBER 2.6g

Cooking Light, AUGUST 2004

Coconut-Curry Chicken Soup

After my little sis (curry-hater) made a comment about the curry overload on the blog lately, I decided to take a curry break. After all, she is one of the few who follow this blog, so I must cater to my readers. Then I found this recipe, and the amazing reviews were screaming at me, so I just had to give it a try. On Wednesday, Kevin was home at lunchtime, and I decided, on a whim, to whip it up and see how it turned out. Well, this is a terrific recipe. I see what all the hype was about. First of all, it has a terrific base. It's like a really thick, flavorful chicken soup, with a different texture in every bite. You have the al dente noodles, the tender chicken, the crispy bite of the snap peas, and the leafy greens, all coming together in a really nice, hearty, hot pot of deliciousness. In fact, I wouldn't even call it a soup. It's more like a brothy hot pot. It is actually tough to eat this with just a spoon, because of the long noodles. Anyway, Kevin found this to be only okay. Basically, he loved the flavors, but didn't love the components. He'd rather have a chicken and rice soup, with your standard soup veggies, but with the awesome broth of this recipe. Okay. Maybe next time. I'm glad I made this one. It is a really cool recipe, and it looked really pretty. Of course, I made some minor modifications, so as not to have to buy ridiculous amounts of ingredients, but I pretty much stuck to the book. We liked it. I'll tweak it and try it again in a few weeks!





Try this. It's a great variation from your standard chicken noodle.


Coconut-Curry Chicken Soup


Chicken soup flavored with coconut and curry make this Thai a reader favorite. Snow peas, spinach, and chicken breast give the soup flavor, texture, and a wealth of nutrients.


Yield: 7 servings (serving size: 2 cups soup and 1 lime wedge)


4 cups water
3 cups fresh spinach leaves (I used frozen, because I had it, and wanted to get rid of it.)
1/2 pound snow peas, trimmed and cut in half crosswise
1 (5 3/4-ounce) package pad thai noodles (wide rice stick noodles)(I just used plain linguine)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
2 teaspoons red curry paste
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce (I omitted this. I just can't bring myself to use it.)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (omitted)
4 small hot red chiles, seeded and chopped, or 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
7 lime wedges (omitted)

1. Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add spinach and peas to pan; cook for 30 seconds. Remove vegetables from pan with a slotted spoon; place in a large bowl. Add noodles to pan; cook 3 minutes. Drain; add noodles to spinach mixture in bowl.

2. Heat canola oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and the next 5 ingredients (through garlic) to pan; saut� 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth to pan, and bring to a boil. Add coconut milk to pan; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add chicken, onions, sugar, and fish sauce to pan; cook for 2 minutes. Pour chicken mixture over noodle mixture in bowl. Stir in cilantro and chiles. Serve with lime wedges.


CALORIES 315 (22% from fat); FAT 7.8g (sat 3.7g,mono 2.2g,poly 1.3g); IRON 3.2mg; CHOLESTEROL 62mg; CALCIUM 78mg; CARBOHYDRATE 30.9g; SODIUM 841mg; PROTEIN 29.3g; FIBER 2.4g

Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2008

Soba Noodles with Broccoli and Chicken

In keeping with my "Kinda Sorta Like Italian Food Week." (remember my tomato chutney?!), I decided to use these Japanese noodles. I found these udon noodles at Ocean State Job Lot a couple of months ago, and they were dirt cheap, so I figured someday, I might actually use them. Well, lo and behold, I found this recipe for soba noodles with chicken, and I figured I could just substitute udon noodles. If you are wondering about the difference between the two, soba noodles are thin buckwheat noodles, and udon noodles are thicker, softer, wheat noodles. Anyway, I followed some of the reviews, and doubled the sauce, since people said it was too dry. I am glad I had more, but I actually wish I had "one and a halfed" the sauce, instead. Anyway, this is an easy recipe, and it is really delicious. It is actually really spicy (I wouldn't recommend doubling the crushed red pepper), but also sweet and gingery, with a nice kick of flavor in every bite. My whole family really liked it - including both babies. Maya basically picked out every piece of chicken, leaving the rest of us with very little. Anyway, this is a definite "make again" meal. We loved it, and the leftovers made a really tasty cold salad the next day!



Make this. Seriously. Kevin's rating: 5 BOWLS!!!

Soba Noodles with Broccoli and Chicken

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups chicken mixture and 1/2 cup noodles)


6 ounces uncooked soba (buckwheat noodles)
1/4 cup sake (rice wine) or dry sherry (I used Sherry because it seemed more versatile, for future recipes)
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
3/4 pound chicken breast tenders, cut into bite-sized pieces (I used breasts instead)
1 1/2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
3 cups quartered mushrooms
3 cups broccoli florets
1 cup (1-inch) red bell pepper strips
1 tablespoon bottled ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World)
2 garlic cloves, minced

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain.

Combine sake and the next 4 ingredients (sake through crushed red pepper) in a small bowl; set aside (I doubled this part, but NOT the crushed red pepper).

Heat 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; stir-fry 4 minutes or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and sesame oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and remaining ingredients; stir-fry 4 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender. Return chicken to pan; stir in sake mixture. Cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Serve over noodles.

CALORIES 357 (18% from fat); FAT 7g (sat 1.2g,mono 1.9g,poly 3.2g); IRON 3.3mg; CHOLESTEROL 49mg; CALCIUM 61mg; CARBOHYDRATE 43.2g; SODIUM 810mg; PROTEIN 30.1g; FIBER 3.3g

Cooking Light, MAY 2004