Spaghetti Squash Chow Mein

I know I get overly excited sometimes about a new recipe and tend to go on and on... and on.... about how amazing it is. 

Yes... you guessed it. This is one of those times.

**insert excited squeal and clapping of hands here**

Okay.

So.

This is AMAZEBALLS! 

*whispering* Guys, it tastes EXACTLY like chow mein with real noodles.

Not even lying.

You could totally fool people with this. It even looks like chow mein. 

Look at the photos....

Totally thought it was noodles, right?

This is definitely becoming part of my regular dinner menu. It is unbelievably easy, ridiculously tasty, and crazy healthy.

According to Myfitness pal, one serving is: 114 calories, 3 fat, 20 carbs, 4 fiber and 3 protein.

The entire recipe makes 6 servings so the 114 calories if for a HUMONGOUS serving!

You need this in your life.

Spaghetti Squash Chow Mein

Ingredients

Sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 Tbsp brown sugar

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp ginger, freshly grated

1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp sweet chili sauce

1 Tbsp white wine

Chow Mein

1 Tbsp sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/3 purple onion, chopped

2 green onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 cup snow peas, broken into 1 inch pieces

5 button mushrooms, sliced

1 bag coleslaw mix (approx 3 - 4 cups)

1 cup bean sprouts

1 large spaghetti squash, cooked (yield approx 6 cups shredded)

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together sauce ingredients until well mixed. Set aside.

Heat a large wok (or pot) over medium/high heat. Add in sesame oil.

When oil is crackling, throw in the garlic.

Stir for 30 seconds.

Add in onions, celery, snow peas, and mushrooms, Cook and stir until mushrooms soften, about 2 - 3 minutes.

Next, add in the cole slaw mix and bean sprouts.

Cook and stir until well mixed in and cabbage has started to wilt - another 2 - 3 minutes.

Lastly, add in the shredded spaghetti squash and sauce.

Stir very well - until sauce coats everything evenly and squash is heated through.

Serve immediately.

Leftovers the next day are just as good..... if you actually have any leftovers. *Ha*

I wanted to make this vegan so I left out any meat but next time I am definitely going to add some chicken or shrimp. 

Definitely is my new favorite thing right now. 

Why aren't you making this right now?

P.S. - If you give it a try we would LOVE to hear from you what your thoughts are. Just leave us a comment below! 

 

We're sharing on these fab sites - Ms. enPlace, Flamingo Toes, The Chicken Chick, Memories By The Mile, Hun... What's For Dinner?, New Mrs Adventures, Simple Life of a Fire Wife, Anyonita Nibbles

 

Noodle Salad With Sesame Garlic Dressing

Need to bring something to a potluck? Maybe a lunch at the office? 

Something that isn't "the usual" fare.

Have we got a deal for you! 

This super simple salad comes together in under 10 minutes. It's true. Really. 10 minutes. 

Grab a bag of Double Happiness Chow Mein Noodles (or any brand rice noodles should work in a pinch!) and you are almost done already. 

Want to hear some more good news?

The nutritional count on this is pretty sweet too. (According to Myfitnesspal) Per serving, and the recipe makes around 10 or so, the count is: 250 calories, 34 carbs, 10 fat, and 7 protein. (I'm counting a serving as about 1 heaping cup full....)

Noodles Salad With Sesame Garlic Dressing

Ingredients

Dressing

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

1 Tbsp Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

4 cloves garlic, minced

Salad

1 pkg (454 gr) Double Happiness Chow Mein Noodles

1 medium cucumber

1/2 green bell pepper

1/2 medium onion

3 large radishes

2 cups baby spinach

2 cups Mann's Rainbow Salad (OR coleslaw mix)

Directions

Prepare dressing - Place all of the dressing ingredients into a blender and process until smooth. Cover and chill until ready to use.

Prepare salad - Place noodles into a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit while you prep the veggies.

Finely dice the cucumber, green pepper, onion, radishes, and spinach. 

Drain the noodles and cut them so they are a little bit shorter and easier to deal with - this is not absolutely necessary but I prefer my noodles a bit more manageable. 

Add in the diced veggies and the 2 cups of Rainbow Salad mix. 

Toss to combine. 

Drizzle with 1/2 of the dressing and toss to distribute evenly. Refrigerate until salad is completely chilled. 

When chilled, drizzle with remaining dressing and toss again. Chill until ready to serve.

I find this is best if it can sit for a few hours or even overnight! The flavors seem to mingle more.

Bring this to your next BBQ, potluck, office luncheon, or family dinner and everyone will think you are a salad super genius. 

 *NOTE - people are wondering where the bits of broccoli came from. They are in the Rainbow Salad Mix that I use. *

Singapore Noodles (Using Spaghetti Squash)

One of my favorite dishes from our local Chinese food restaurant is called Singapore Noodles. What it is, in case you haven't been lucky enough to try it, is a dish of stir fried, curried  rice-vermicelli noodles and vegetables served as a vegetarian dish or it can be accompanied by small slices of chicken, beef, pork, or prawns.

My version has chicken and bacon!

Oh, yeah, my version also uses spaghetti squash as the "noodles" instead of rice-vermicelli.

Wait...

what?

Yes.

That is what I said.

There is no actual noodles in this dish. I thought the photo looked very noodle-y. It felt noodle-y too.

It tastes amazing, if I do say so myself.

Plus...it is super fast to whip up. I think it took me about 30 minutes from start to finish.

Plus... you can customize it to suit your tastes - which veggies and meat you prefer.

Okay, I admit, it isn't a traditional Singapore Noodle dish but it comes pretty close as far as taste and texture go.

Singapore Noodles (using Spaghetti Squash)

Ingredients

1 tsp coconut oil

2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, diced

2 pieces bacon, diced

2 cups zucchini, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp curry powder

3 cups spaghetti squash, cooked (1 large)

1 Tbsp Greek yogurt

Directions

In a large wok or saucepan, heat coconut oil. Add chicken and bacon and cook until chicken is no longer pink. Add in zucchini and garlic.

Cook and stir until zucchini is tender, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with curry powder and stir to coat.

Stir in the 3 cups of spaghetti squash. Cook and stir until squash is heated through. 

Just before removing from heat, stir in the Greek yogurt.

Serve hot.

A couple of notes: I really like the flavor of the coconut oil with the curry. You can use any oil but it will change the flavor.

I didn't have any problem with excess water from the zucchini or squash but, if you do, you can simply drain it from the pan.

To cook the squash I simply poke it with a knife a few times and microwave it for 5 - 10 minutes, cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, and then shred with a fork. You can do this up ahead of time or while you are prepping the veggies, etc...

Want to hear some fantabulous news?

According to Fitday, the nutritional values are:

500 calories, 28.5 fat, 47 carbs, 26 protein.

That is for the ENTIRE recipe. It could technically be a single serving.

I had half for dinner and it was A LOT to eat.

250 calories for dinner? Whaaaaaaat?

Plus it is full of Vit B6, Vit B12, Vit C, Vit A, fiber, iron, niacin, zinc, blah blah blah! Sooo much good stuff!

I've been told I exhibit a lot of enthusiasm when I share a recipe I like.

Can you blame me on this one?

Looking for some fun and exciting links? Check out Chef In Training and Memories By The Mile and Hungry Little Girl and The Busy Bees and The Mandatory Mooch and Carole's Chatter.

Double Happiness Chow Mein

(You can throw in whatever veggies you have!)
 

So I was told by my niece (Sue's daughter) that I needed to add more savory postings to the blog. At first I was thinking that might be an issue because I lean more to the sweet than savory. But, then I thought, "I know, I can blog about dinner!"

I wanted something quick and simple so I decided to make chow mein.
Why is it called "Double Happiness Chow Mein"?
Well, quite a while ago Sue turned me on to these noodles called Double Happiness Food Ltd Chow Mein Noodles that are located in the produce section of the grocery store instead of with the rest of the noodles. They are really low calorie (ONLY 70 CALORIES PER CUP!!) and the texture is awesome. I definitely encourage everyone to try them. I put a pic of the bag below so you know what to look for!

Double Happiness Chow Mein

Ingredients

1 bag of Double Happiness Chow Mein Noodles

2 Tbsp oil

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 - 2 cups chopped raw chicken meat

1 green pepper, coarsely chopped

1 small onion, coarsely choppd

several green onions, coarsely chopped

3 carrots, shredded

1 stalk celery, sliced

1 cup mushrooms, chopped

1/2 cup chicken broth

4 Tbsp Oyster Sauce

2 Tbsp Soy Sauce

salt and pepper

1 Tbsp Oh! So Garlic (optional)

Directions

Dump chow mein noodles into a large bowl and cover with hot tap water. Let soak while you prepare vegetables. (At least 5 minutes)

(I cut the noodles in half so they are a bit shorter but you don't have to do that.)
 

Heat oil in  large wok or pot. Add garlic and chicken. Stir fry until chicken is no longer pink. Add vegetables. Stir and cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add chicken broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, salt and pepper, and Oh! So Garlic (if you are using).

Drain noodles and stir into wok with vegetables until heated through. (I use tongs to toss everything but if you are handy with chopsticks, that would work too!)

 

See, easy peasy! From start to finish, including chopping veggies, it probably took me 30 minutes. A great, healthy, quick, and simple dinner.
You can use whatever vegetables you prefer and switch up the spices too.
Don't like Oyster Sauce? Leave it out.
Love ginger? Add it in.

Our dad gave me a great tip for cooking chow mein (he is the chow mein king) if you want to use chopped carrots instead of grated carrots - boil carrots in a small pot for 5 minutes so they are partially cooked when you add them to the chow mein. That way they won't be too crunchy!

Next time you are in a pinch for time but still want something fairly healthy, give this one a try!