Not Quite Chow Mein for One

I love noodles—who doesn’t? Combining them with veggies and a distinctly Asian sauce makes me happy. This is a great dish for using up scraps of veggies—use whatever you’ve got on hand!

For the Sauce:

2 TBLSP tamari or soy sauce

1 TBLSP rice vinegar

½ teaspoon maple syrup (or agave nectar)

½ teaspoon Chinese Five-Spice powder

For the Stir Fry:

Asian rice noodles, cooked to al dente

Slosh of sesame oil

2 TBLSP water

1 clove garlic, chopped

½ inch ginger root, peeled and chopped

1 small carrot, diced

Zucchini or summer squash, cubed

1 green onion, chopped

2 mushrooms, sliced

2 slices of jicama, cubed

Slosh of water (more, if it sticks)

Sprinkle of sesame seeds

For the Sauce:

1. In a small bowl, combine tamari, vinegar, syrup, and the 5-spice powder.

For the Stir Fry:

1. Drain the noodles well and rinse them in cold water. Place them in a bowl and drizzle with sesame oil to keep them from sticking.
2. In a frying pan, heat the water and add in the garlic, ginger, carrots, and squash and stir fry for 4 minutes. Add in the mushrooms, green onions, and any other veg that appeals to you (peas, edamame, whatever you’ve got), and stir fry for another 2 minutes.
3. Slosh in water if it seems to be getting dry in there.
4. Add in the sauce and the noodles, and keep frying until everything is heated through.
5. Top with sesame seeds to serve