Chinese noodles are delicious!

One of the boys' favorite things to eat is Chow Mein Noodles. It's the go to choice if we're out at any type of food court setting - they will always eat the noodles, and they both love broccoli, too. But the fast food stuff is so bad for you - so I've been experimenting with making Chinese noodles at home. It's been a big hit! It's way lower in fat and I load it up with lots of veggies. I use a mandoline to slice at the veggies super thin. They wolf it down with nary a complaint - a nice change of pace where Gabe is concerned!

Tonight Baby Max got in on the noodle action. He shoveled in as many noddles as he could at once, so I had to give them to him a couple at a time to prevent suffocation by Chinese noodle, but he ate almost as many noodles as Gabe did! Since he's mostly rejecting the sippy cup and baby food, it's nice to know there's something the little guy can eat without spitting up!

Here's our recipe:

1/2 cup Chicken or veggie broth, divided in half
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup cashews
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
4 green onions, sliced
2 carrots, finely sliced
2 stalks celery, finely sliced
1 zucchini, quartered, then finely sliced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 bunch broccoli, steamed and chopped into small bites
1/2 head napa cabbage, shredded
4 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium)
2 tbsp mirin or rice wine vinegar
1 package chow mein noddles - not the crunchy ones for salads, the white steamed ones in a cake

Boil off the noodles and drain; set aside.

Combine half the broth with the cornstarch; set aside.

In a wok or a large pan (I use my biggest soup pot), saute mushrooms in canola oil until browned. Tosh in cashews a minute or so before the mushrooms are done. Transfer mushrooms and cashews to a bowl.

Heat sesame oil in same pan. Toss in all veggies except cabbage. Stirfry for a minute or so to soften veggies. Add cabbage, garlic, and ginger, cook one minute more to wilt cabbage. Stir in remaining broth, red pepper flake, soy, mirin, and cornstarch mixture.  Cook stirring until sauce coats veggies, about a minute. Add noodles and toss to combine.

I usually grind a bit of black pepper over the adult portions before serving. You could probably just toss on some bottled teriyaki stuff too to save the effort. Yum-o!