Noodle Bowls

I've been on a bowl kick lately. Maybe it's because it's easy cleanup or it looks great to serve, but I can't stop dreaming up ideas for food bowls. When we moved from our town house in the city to our home in the suburbs, we moved away from one of our favorite Japanese restaurants. They had the best lo mein. Garrett and I would go there once a week to fulfill our craving!

While we were in Hawaii on our honeymoon, it seemed like everywhere we ate had some type of asian-fusion cuisine on their menu, which I happily ordered.

While yes, you can go to your neighborhood Chinese restaurant and pick up a large order of lo mein for under ten bucks, I bet you two things. One, the satisfaction you'll feel from making your own will make you feel like a total all-star and two, you'll be saving yourself a TON of sodium intake.

Like most great meals, the ingredients you use are important. What's a good pasta if you don't use great olive oil? The secret to a great lo mein is really good soy sauce. I love liquid aminos by Bragg because it has less sodium that other soy sauces and it also contains 16 amino acids! Did I also mention it has no preservatives, artificial coloring or chemicals? Score!

Noodle Bowls

Preparation: 10 min

                  Cook Time: 20 min  Total Time: 30 min                       

Ingredients

          Noodle Topper

          1 crown of broccoli cut into florets

          3 tbsp olive oil

          1/4 cup chopped carrots

          2 tbsp stir fry oil or olive oil

          2 tbsp water

          1 pack of shredded cabbage

          1 tbsp chopped garlic

          1/4 cup chopped yellow onion

          2 chicken breasts - cut into cubes

          Cilantro for garnish

          Sesame seeds for garnish

         Lo Mein & Sauce:

         Lo mein noodles

         2 green onions, chopped - just the green part

         3 tbsp soy sauce or liquid aminos

         1 tsp sesame oil

         1 tsp sugar or honey

Instructions

         Preheat your oven to 350 and place your chicken breast in the oven. Set your timer for 20 minutes.

         Using a large skillet or wok, begin by heating 2 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat. Add your broccoli

         and onion. Begin cooking them until the onion is translucent. Add your cabbage and lower the heat to

         low-medium and add your garlic, carrots, water and stir fry oil. Add additional water if the veggies look

         dry. The point of this is to continue steaming the veggies so they are juicy and tender.

         Now begin boiling a pot of water for your lo mein noodles. Follow the instructions on their label.

         Remove your vegetables from the heat once the cabbage is cooked down and soft.

         Mix together the liquid ingredients and sugar in a separate bowl until well blended. Pour over your

         noodles and stir until combined. Your chicken should now be ready. Cut into cubes and build your bowl!

         I like to lay the foundation with the lo mein, and then place my chicken on one side and the veggies on

         the other. I then top my bowl with sesame seeds and cilantro. My husband likes to add a kick with some

         sriracha! There's no wrong way to build your bowl, so have fun with it and enjoy!