Vegan Lo Mein (Or Not)! You Choose!

As many of you know, I spent most of April doing a Vegan Challenge!  It was one of the best things I ever did for myself.  Part of being able to really pull off being vegan is to be creative!  Oh stop - don't start telling me you are not creative!  That's what GOOGLE is for!  Make google your very best friend.  I know you are on the computer reading our lovely blog!  (Or checking Facebook for the hundreth time!)  Take five minutes and do a search for lovely recipe ideas - or better yet, count on us Curvy Girls to keep providing you with delicious recipe fodder!

One of my most favorite creations during my vegan challenge was lo mein.  We love chinese food in this household!  One night after spending $40+, we had a table full of veggie lo mein, vegetarian delight and more.  It was not that good.  Furthermore, I realized it had likely been cooked in the same pans as the pork, chicken, shrimp and more.  Hmph.  Challenge accepted, I created my own based loosely on a few recipes I found online.  I hope you will enjoy this as much as we all did.  Maybe if you are nice enough, I will even make it for you!

Vegan Lo- Mein Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan in a slow drizzle) sesame oil (no substitutions, you need this flavor!
• 2 cups chopped bok choy (leaves, stems - all) 
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into match stick size pieces
• 1/2 pound assorted mushrooms (shiitake, straw, enoki, or oyster), coarsely chopped, if necessary
• 6 scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal
• 2 cups fresh bean spouts
• 1 cup of chopped celery
• 1 large zucchini, julienned thinly
• 1 cup of shredded carrots
• 1 cup of chopped broccoli
• 1 half of a vidalia onion or red onion, julienned
• 2 inches fresh ginger root, minced or grated with hand grater (I did not have this and missed it!)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound lo mein noodles, cooked to al dente and drained well (I found the BEST chinese noodles at Market Basket for $1.29/bag, and they are HEALTHY - see picture below)
• 1/2 cup aged soy sauce (I used less, go by your taste.  Easier to add more than to take out!)
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, several drops

Directions

Heat a wok-shaped skillet or large non-stick skillet over high heat. When pan is very hot, add oil, (it will smoke a bit) then, immediately add the vegetables. Stir fry for 1 minute to flavor the oil, then add the ginger and garlic, and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add the cooked noodles and toss with to combine. Add the soy sauce and toss the ingredients to coat noodles evenly with sauce. Transfer the lo mein to a serving platter and garnish with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil.

For you non-vegans or vegetarians, feel free to add cooked shredded pork, chicken, or small de-veined shrimp may be added to this dish in any combination.

These noodles were fantastic!  Not for those with gluten sensitivies or allergies though.  Feel free to experiment with rice noodles.  I am going to do that next!