Almost Instant Noodle Soup in a Jar

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With this recipe, you can make your own tasty (almost) instant noodle soup with very little effort. You can prepare this recipe the previous day, and you have the perfect, quick office lunch – just add boiling water! And you can customize and make this recipe your own by adding different vegetables. See my suggestions below.

I first came up with this recipe on my vegetarian cross country road trip. When I was on the road and stopped at places where I couldn’t get a proper vegetarian meal, I used to make my own ‘instant’ noodles by soaking dried mushrooms, fresh greens and rice noodles in boiling water. I posted the recipe on the blog, and to my surprise many of you were making it at home! To me, it was an improvised recipe for the road trip, but when I saw how many of you were actually making it, I decided to come up with this version.

Assemble the seasonings, vegetables and rice noodles in a jar the previous night and keep it in the fridge. Take it to work the next morning, and just add boiling water to the jar – you have lunch in minutes! Mason jars or empty pasta sauce jars work well. And if you use a wide mouth jar, you can eat directly from the jar. And change up the vegetables however you like; just remember that the vegetables should be the easily wilting kind, so they can “cook” on the boiling water soak.

Other ingredients you can use in your almost instant noodle soup
Sweet corn
Baby corn, chopped
Shredded kale
Dried shitake mushrooms, reconstituted
White button mushrooms, sliced
Tofu cubes
Paneer cubes
Seaweed
Bean sprouts
Watercress
Sliced jalapeños
Kimchi
Chopped scallions
Chopped cilantro
Crushed red pepper
Powdered lemongrass

Almost Instant Noodle Soup in a Jar Recipe

serves 1

Ingredients
an approximately 16 oz glass jar, preferably a wide mouth one, with lid
1.5 oz rice noodle sticks
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
1/4th of a stock cube
1/8th teaspoon garlic powder, optional
1/4th teaspoon grated ginger, optional
½ cup shredded carrot
½ cup shredded napa cabbage
12 leaves of baby spinach

Method
1.  Remove the rice noodles from packaging, and measure out 1.5 oz. Place it in a zip lock bag. Grab the ziplock  bag with your hands and carefully break up the noodles into smaller pieces. Set aside.
2. Wipe the jar clean, and add in all ingredients from soy sauce through to baby spinach, in that order.
3. Then pack the broken up noodles into the jar. Screw on the lid and store in the refrigerator for upto a day.
4. When you are ready to eat, pour boiling water into the jar. Pour in enough water to cover the noodles, about 1 1/2 cups. Replace the lid and let the noodles soak for about 12 minutes or till they have softened. Mix the soup gently so that the stock cube dissolves evenly. Be careful, the jar will be very hot, use a towel or oven mitts to handle the jar.
Note: Adding hot water to a very cold glass jar can cause the glass to crack! If your jar is very cold (or if your fridge is set to very cold), leave the jar out at room temparature for about 15 minutes before adding hot water.
5. Tip your almost instant noodle soup into a bowl and serve. Or eat it directly from the jar!

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My Go-To Vegetarian Gravy Recipe

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Nutritional yeast is the secret ingredient to this fast and easy vegetarian gravy recipe. Nutritional yeast is a dried and deactivated yeast that comes in flake and powder form. It has a deep umami taste and is a perfect flavor enhancer for vegetarian dishes. You can sprinkle it on popcorn, use it in soups, or in a vegetarian gravy like I have done today. You can buy nutritional yeast from the bulk section of the grocery store.

My other secret ingredient in this vegetarian gravy recipe is curry powder! I use my all time favorite S&B curry powder for my gravy. Its available in Asian markets and online.

Nutritional yeast flakes

Here are some recipes that you can make, to serve the vegetarian gravy with-
Thanksgiving Vegetarian Wellington
Baked Tofu Steaks
Kale and Goat Cheese Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Vegetarian Gravy Recipe

makes about 2 cups

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
2 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon or more curry powder. I recommend S&B curry powder
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

Method
1. The heat the butter or oil in a small saucepan. Add the flour and nutritional yeast, and stir on medium-low heat for about a minute.
2. Then add all other ingredients and whisk constantly. Bring the gravy to a boil, while whisking and continue boiling for about a minute. Taste the gravy, and if needed add more curry powder for spice or more soy sauce for saltiness.
3. If the gravy gets lumpy, simply push it through a strainer or blend it in a blender. The gravy might thicken as it cools. If it gets too thick, thin it out with water or stock while re-heating.

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Thanksgiving Vegetarian Wellington with Fennel Braised Seitan, Thyme Roasted Mushrooms and Kale

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Make this vegetarian wellington recipe for Thanksgiving and the turkeys of America will love you! And so will your guests. This welling is a puff pastry wrapping, stuffed with orange and fennel seed braised seitan, thyme roasted mushrooms and kale. All served with the best vegetarian gravy ever (recipe coming up next)! You can make all the components to this recipe up to three days in advance. Just assemble and bake the wellingtons on Thanksgiving day – easy!
Now, here are all the components for this recipe

The Spice Mix
I used fennel seeds, coriander seeds and a few peppercorns to add a little spice and great flavor to this wellington. Crush everything in a mortar and pestle and let it sizzle in some butter. The flavors will infuse the butter beautifully. The spices in this recipe are subtle. But if you want a more pronounced spice note, feel free to double the spice mix recipe.

The Seitan Filling
Seitan, also called “wheat meat” is made from wheat gluten, and is easily available at most grocery stores. It has a meaty texture and is high in protein. Use whatever brand seitan you like. I used west soy brand chicken style seitan. The recipes calls for 8oz of drained seitan. So if your seitan is packaged in liquid, remember that the 8oz is the drained weight.

For the seitan filling, brown it in butter, along with half of the spice mix. Then braise the seitan in orange juice for a bright, citrus flavor. Orange zest adds an extra pop.

Kale Filling
The kale filling is a quick sauté of onions, celery, carrot, garlic and kale, along with the delicious spice mix.

Roasted Mushroom Filling
This is a simple, and easy filling, and requires no baby sitting. Just toss the mushrooms in olive oil, salt and pepper and bake till golden. Just make sure the mushrooms arent touching each other. If you crowd them on the baking sheet, they wont brown.

How to Make the Wellingtons
Spread the three fillings all over the thawed puff pastry, leaving a little border. Then using the parchment paper that the puff pastry is sitting on, lift and roll (like sushi), till it forms a log. Brush with egg wash and bake.

A note on puff pastry
A lot of puff pastries contain butter. But if you are looking for a vegan puff pastry, use pepperidge farm. Also, if you haven’t worked with puff pastry before, you may want to start with the vegan puff pastry. Puff pastry made with butter can be difficult to handle. And remember if the puff pastry gets too warm, it will get sticky (put it back in the freezer for a few minutes), and if its not thawed enough, it will be too hard. Time your cooking in such a way that you take out the puff pastry from the freezer to thaw about 20 minutes before you need it.

Make Ahead Tips
- All three fillings can be made up to 3 days ahead, and refridgerated
- If you made the roasted mushrooms ahead of time, they may get a little watery. Strain out the liquid from the mushrooms before using
- You can also assemble the entire wellington, and then freeze it unbaked. On the day of Thanksgiving, bake the frozen wellington at 400f for about an hour or till it is golden.

Thanksgiving Vegetarian Wellington with Seitan, Roasted Mushroom & Kale Recipe

serves 6-8

Ingredients
2 sheets of frozen puff pastry
1 egg, for egg wash. Substitute with 1/4 cup of whole milk or soy milk
a pinch of fennel seeds

For Spice Mix
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon black pepper corns

For Mushroom Filling
1 lb mushrooms (white or crimini)
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
A few sprigs of thyme

For Seitan Filling
8oz drained seitan*
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
1 large orange
1/4th teaspoon sugar, optional
Salt
*if the seitan is packed in liquid, the net weight will be more, so look for the drained weight, which should be 8oz.

For Kale Filling
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 bunch kale, shredded
1 teaspoon thyme leaves

Method
Pre-heat oven to 425F
1. Using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder, coarsely grind the fennel, coriander and black pepper. Set the spice mix aside.
2. Wipe the mushrooms clean. Then cut them in half.
3. Place the mushrooms, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and toss well.
4. Transfer the mushrooms to a baking sheet. Make sure the mushrooms are not crowded or touching each other. Use two baking sheets if needed.
5. Scatter the thyme sprigs on top of the mushrooms.
6. Bake at 425F for about 20 minutes or till golden. When done, remove from the oven and let the mushrooms cool.

7. While the mushrooms are baking, work on the seitan filling. If the seitan is packed in water, drain the water. Slice the seitan into strips.
8. Heat the butter or olive oil in a large skillet. Add half the spice mixture and let it sizzle in the butter/olive oil for a few seconds.
9.. Then add in the seitan. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, till the seitan is golden brown.
10. While the seitan is cooking, zest the orange, and measure out 1 tablespoon of zest.
11. Then juice the orange and measure out a little less than 1/2 cup of juice.
12. When the seitan is golden, pour in the orange juice, sugar, and salt. Cook till all the liquid bubbles away. Add in the zest, stir, and turn off heat. Let the seitan cool completely.
(Now is a good time to take the puff pastry out of the freezer and let it thaw)

13. While the seitan is cooling, work on the kale. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add other half of the spice mixture, the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook on medium heat till the vegetables are soft.
14. Add the shredded kale, thyme, and salt and stir just till the kale starts to wilt. Turn off heat and let the kale cool completely.
(You can make all the fillings up to 3 days in advance and refrigerate them. On the day of, just thaw the puff pastry and proceed with filling it)

Pre-heat oven to 400F
15. Break the egg into a small bowl, whisk it well. Cover and keep in the refrigerator till ready to use.
16. When all the fillings are completely cooled, and the puff pastry is thawed, you are ready to assemble the wellington. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the thawed puff pastry on the parchment.
17. Spread half the kale filling all over the puff pastry, leaving a little border all around. Top the kale with half the seitan mixture, and the half the mushrooms.
18. Grab the parchment paper on the long end of the puff pastry. Carefully lift and roll the puff pastry till it forms a log.
If the puff pastry is too sticky to be able to roll, just put the baking sheet with the wellington in the freezer for a few minutes, it will firm up and become easier to work with. If the puff pastry is too stiff, it means it needs to thaw more before you can work with it.

19. Brush the log with egg wash. Sprinkle a few fennel seeds on top of the log. Then using a sharp knife, make 3 small, evenly spaced cuts on top of the log.
20. Repeat with the second puff pastry sheet and the remaining half of the fillings.
21. Bake in a 400F oven, till golden brown, about 15 minutes.
22. Serve immediately with vegetarian gravy.

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Ligurian Chard with Pine Nuts, Feta and Quinoa Recipe and a Giveaway

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I was super excited when Blue Apron contacted me to see if I will review their product! I don’t do a lot of product reviews like this on my blog; but I really liked the concept behind Blue Apron. Every week, they send their subscribers recipes for the week, and a box filled with ALL the ingredients you need to make those recipes. No grocery shopping, no guess work.

I tried the Ligurian chard with pine nuts and feta. It tasted delicious and was really easy to make! I love all kinds of green vegetables, so this was the perfect recipe for me. And Blue Apron has lots of vegetarian recipes – take a look at some other Blue Apron vegetarian recipes around the web..

Win a Blue Apron box!

 

With everything you need to make a week’s worth of vegetarian dinners!

Blue Apron is giving away one free Blue Apron box each to two lucky Veggie Belly readers! The winner will get everything they need to make a week’s worth of vegetarian dinners (6 meals) - recipes and all ingredients!

To enter
1. Go to the Blue Apron recipe page and check out their recipes.
2. Then come back here and leave a comment telling me what your favorite recipe was.

Before you enter, take a look at their delivery regions here http://www.blueapron.com/pages/learn-more – scroll down to ‘Convenient Delivery’ and click on ‘See our map’ and make sure you live in their delivery area first!
Contest ends Nov 13th at midnight. Two lucky winners will be announced on this page on Nov 14th.
Make sure you entered your email id when commenting so I can contact you if you won!

—————————–

This giveaway is over. The winners are comment #52, and 47!

————————————–

This is the Blue Apron box I received. It has 3 recipes (2 servings each) and all the ingredients needed to make them.

Veggie Belly reader special – get 30% off your first box!

Ligurian Chard with Pine Nuts, Feta and Quinoa Recipe

The original recipe is by Blue Apron, this is my slightly different version.
Serves about 2

Ingredients
1 Cup Quinoa
1 Bunch Swiss Chard
3 Cloves Garlic, chopped
1 Small Onion, thinly sliced
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
⅛ Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
¼ Cup Golden Raisins
1 Cup Vegetable Broth
2 tablespoons Feta Cheese
1 Tablespoon Pine Nuts, toasted on low heat
8-10 Kalamata Olives, sliced
1 Lemon, cut into wedges

Method
1. Place quinoa and 2 cups water in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat, and simmer covered till the water is all absorbed and quinoa is cooked – about 12 minutes. Fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork.

1. While quinoa is cooking, wash and chop the swiss chard into thin ribbons. Also thinly slice the onion and garlic. Set aside.

3. Heat some olive oil in a large pan, add the onions and garlic and red pepper flakes and cook on medium-high till the onion is soft. Then add the chard and stir till its wilted.

4. Pour in the vegetable stock and the raisins and simmer for another 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper (keeping in mind the feta and the olives you’ll be adding later are also salty).

5. To serve, place the quinoa on a plate, and spoon the swiss chard and any liquid on top of the quinoa. Sprinkle feta cheese, pine nuts and olive on top. Serve lemon wedges on the side.

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Besan Laddoo Recipe

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Diwali is around the corner and this besan laddoo or laddu is one of the easiest sweets you can make to celebrate. Diwali is the Indian festival of lights. It celebrates the victory of good over evil and light over darkness. Its one of India’s most important festivals and we celebrate it with fire crackers, new clothes and by sharing sweets and snacks. If you are looking for a simple Diwali sweet recipe, try this besan laddoo. Its gluten free too!

Besan laddoo is made with chickpea or garbanzo or gram flour, ghee, sugar and cardamom. It takes about 30 minutes to make, but most the work is just stirring. There really is nothing complicated about this sweet. If you are new to making Indian sweets, this is a great one to start with.

Some tips
- Make sure you use medium-low heat and stir the flour and ghee  mixture constantly to prevent burning

- You can use fine ground besan or the coarse ground variety. Both work. But I like the fine ground besan, it makes the laddoos melt in your mouth. If you like more texture in your laddus, use the coarse besan.

- The laddu mixture is ready when it turns golden starts to smell nutty. This will happen approximately around the 30 minute mark. If you can smell the besan getting toasted and nutty, taste a small pinch of it. It should taste cooked and not raw. Then its done and ready for the sugar and cardamom.

- When forming the laddoos, if they are too dry and falling apart, add extra ghee to the mixture one teaspoon at a time, mixing well after each addition, untill you can form it into balls.

How to Make Besan Laddoo – a Video 

http://youtu.be/tRWTPOZwJ5Q

Besan Laddoo Recipe

makes about 15

Ingredients
1/2 cup ghee or melted butter (melt 1 stick of unsalted butter). But I recommend you use ghee.
1 1/2 cups besan (chickpea or gram flour)
1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
1 tablespoon slivered almonds, or cashew halves, optional

Method
1. Take a large non-stick skillet and add the ghee or melted butter to it. Heat it on medium-low heat. Once the ghee or butter is warm, add the besan (chickpea or garbanzo flour).

2. Cook this mixture on low-medium heat, stirring constantly. The laddu mixture is done when it looks golden and smells toasty and nutty. This will take 20-30 minutes. Look at the video above to see the different stages of the mixture cooking, and how it looks when its done.

3. When the laddu mixture smells toasted and looks golden, taste a little. It should taste cooked. There should be no sour after taste, if it tastes sour or raw, you need to cook it more. When the mixture is cooked, turn off the heat.

4. Let it cool for about 3 minutes. Then add sugar and cardamom, and mix well. Taste the mixture. If you want, you can add more sugar and or cardamom at this point.

5. Let it cool completely. Then gather about 2 tablespoons of the mixture in your palm of your hands, and press it to form a ball. (See video above).

6. If the mixture is too dry and wont form balls, or if the balls crack or dont hold together, you need to add more ghee or melted butter. Add 1 teaspoon of ghee or melted butter and mix well. Now try to form balls again. If its still too dry, add another teaspoon of melted butter or ghee and mix well. Try again. Keep doing this till you can form the mixture into balls. You shouldn’t need to add more than 2 teaspoons (if that) of ghee or melted butter for this recipe. And make sure you don’t add so much ghee that the laddoos become oily. And add the extra ghee or melted butter only if you need to.

7. When the laddoos are shaped, press an almond sliver or cashew half onto the top. This is optional.

8. Store laddoos in an air tight container, they will keep for a week.

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Chocolate Cardamom Fudge Recipe

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These chocolate cardamom fudge balls recipe take just 5 minutes of work. And the results are mouthwatering. I’m making this for Diwali the Indian festival of lights this year, so I added a little Indian twist to it by adding the cardamom, because nothing reminds me more of Indian desserts than cardamom. This fudge recipe will be great for Diwali,, or simply as an easy sweet treat.

You melt together chocolate chips, condensed milk, cardamom and butter in a pan. When it all melts, let it cool a little and form into delicious chocolatey cardamom fudge balls. Easy, no?!

Cardamom powder is available in Indian stores. You can also make your own – break open cardamom pods, and remove the seeds inside. Using a spice grinder, grind the seeds into a fine powder. I grind extra cardamom and sprinkle it on my morning coffee. 

Other flavoring ideas
Keep everything in this recipe the same, except for the cardamom. Substitute the cardamom with one of these:
Mexican style fudge – 1/4th teaspoon powdered cinnamom, and a good pinch of cayenne pepper
‘Regular’ flavored fudge - A few drops of vanilla extract
Salted chocolate – 1/4th teaspoon sea salt sprinkled on top of the rolled fudge right at the end

Chocolate Cardamom Fudge Recipe

makes about 24 walnut sized balls

Ingredients
one 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
6 oz semi sweet chocolate chips (about 1 cup)*
6 oz bitter sweet chocolate chips (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour, optional
1/4th cup slivered almonds, optional
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom, see post above for other flavor ideas

* This makes a pretty sweet fudge. If you like it less sweet, use more bitter sweet chocolate and less semi sweet (but keep the total amount of chocolate chips the same – 12 oz or about 2 cups)

Method
1. Place all ingredients in a medium non-stick skillet. Heat on low heat, stirring occasionally till everything melts, about 5 minutes.

2. When the fudge looks completely melted, smooth and silky, remove pan from heat.

3. Let the fudge cool till its cool enough to touch. Then roll it into walnut sized balls. Place them in a single layer on a plate or cookie sheet.

3. Let the fudge balls cool completely. Store in an air tight container.

 

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Quinoa Upma Recipe

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I’ve taken the classic South Indian upma – a breakfast dish made with semolina – and quinoa-fied it! The traditional upma uses semolina, onions, ginger and vegetables. I’ve pretty much kept everything the same, except the addition of quinoa. This is a quick, satisfying, one pot meal. Serve it along with my twice cooked tomato chutney.

I’m always thinking of new and different quinoa recipes and putting an Indian twist to this quinoa dish really works. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ve already seen my hugely popular mango blueberry quinoa salad, a version of which I demoed on TV. I also have a spicy quinoa, black bean and asparagus bowl recipe and a more summery quinoa recipe with balsamic grilled vegetables. If you’ve tried lots of quinoa recipes and looking for something completely different, this quinoa upma is for you!

Quinoa Upma Recipe

 Serves about 6

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter or oil
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1-3 green chili, slit
1 small onion, thinly sliced
one inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into 3 pieces
a few curry leaves, optional
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup shelled green peas
2 cups quinoa
Salt
Chopped cilantro for garnish

Method
1. In a large saucepan with a lid, heat the butter or oil and add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle, add the green chili, onions, ginger and curry leaf. Stir on medium heat till the onion is soft and transcluscent.

2. Now add the turmeric, carrots, and peas. Cook stirring for about a minute.

3. Add the quinoa to the saucepan and stir gently for a few seconds. Then pour in 4 cups water, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer covered till all the water is absorbed and the quinoa is cooked, about 15 minutes.

4. Serve hot, garnished with chopped cilantro. If desired, fish out and discard the ginger chunks before serving.

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Easy Vegetable Pad Thai Recipe

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I love Pad Thai and have been experimenting with a recipe that is easy, vegetarian and something you can make with just your pantry ingredients (no tamarind or palm sugar!). When I eat Pad Thai at restaurants I always have to ask for it vegetarian and without fish sauce, and even then sometimes they give it to me with the fish sauce! Probably because the pad thai sauce is pre-made.

My Pad Thai is totally vegan and vegetarian, and the Pad Thai sauce is very easy to make!

But before we get to this delicious home made Pad Thai recipe, here’s a story of how it happened..

Emilee is a Veggie Belly fan and has been following the blog for a few years. She, her husband and new baby recently moved back home to Portland after living in Beirut, Lebanon.

As a special surprise for Emilee, her family arranged a cooking session for her with me! How sweet is that?! Emilee had no idea what she was in for until she arrived at my door! Imagine her surprise!

We made this Pad Thai together, and had so much fun chatting and cooking! We talked about food in Lebanon, adjusting to life with a new baby, how awesome Portland, OR is (it really is, trust me!)…all while chopping garlic, squeezing lemons and soaking noodles. My kind of evening!

And the noodles turned out delicious! Below, Emilee squeezes a wedge of lime over her noodles because she likes it tangy.

Check out her nails, I love the color!
Thanks Emilee, for cooking with me!
I love hanging out with my readers!

Some tips for making veggie Pad Thai

- The Pad Thai sauce needs to have a balance of sweet, salty and sour. Everyone likes it a different way. Follow my sauce recipe to start with, and then feel free to adjust the sugar (for sweetness), soy sauce (for salt) and lime juice (for sourness)

- Pad Thai noodles are called Banh Pho. Look for the flat wide ones, sometimes labeled as size “XL”. The ingredients must only have rice or rice flour and water.

- Make sure you soak the noodles correctly (see package instructions). If they get too mushy, you’ve either soaked them too long or they’ve spent too much time in the wok. Or both. And if you don’t soak them long enough they will be crunchy.

- When you soak the noodles, they don’t have to soften all the way, but make sure they are soaked enough that they become pliable, and are no longer stiff.

- I like the boil the pad thai sauce. It gives it a deeper flavor, and caramelizes the sugar a bit. If you dont want to do this extra step, thats fine, simply whisk the sauce ingredients together and set aside.

Easy Vegetable Pad Thai Recipe

serves 2-3
Ingredients

for the sauce
3-4 tablespoons light brown sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 2-3 limes)
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup water

for the noodles
8 oz wide Pad Thai rice noodles, also called Banh Pho
2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil
crushed red pepper, as much as you like
4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups of broccoli florets
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into rounds
1 heaping cup of cubed fried tofu, available at Asian stores
a big hand full of bean sprouts
2 green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons roasted, chopped peanuts
3-4 cilantro sprigs, chopped
1/2 lime, cut into wedges

Method
1. Place all the sauce ingredients in a non stick sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer on low for about 2 minutes, or till the sauce has thickened just a little. Turn off heat and set aside.

2. Soak and drain the noodles according to package instructions. If the package does’nt have instructions, soak the noodles in warm water for about 15 minutes or till they become pliable. Then drain.

3. Heat the oil in a large wok. Add the crushed red pepper. As soon as they sizzle, add the garlic, broccoli and carrots. Toss on medium-high heat till the broccoli turns bright green and the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes.

4. Add the soaked noodles, tofu and the sauce. Toss on medium-high heat till everything is well combine and the noodles are cooked, but still a little chewy, and not mushy.

5. Turn off heat, and add the bean sprouts, and green onions and mix well.

6. Garnish with cilantro and peanuts. Serve with lime wedges on the side.

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