Soba Stir Fry!

Happy Friday!

So when I made this dish, I used chicken that I had previously marinated and shoved into the freezer so I don't have any pictures of it. But that doesn't mean I won't include the recipe for the marinade!

This recipe is a favorite. I don't think I'm going to change the noodles back to egg or rice noodles when this detox is over. I really enjoy the chewier texture of the soba, plus I really enjoy the flavor of buckwheat.

Soba noodles aren't too hard to find as they are sold in the Asian section of most major grocery stores. They are great in this stir fry, but they are traditionally eaten with a dipping sauce, either hot or over ice. That is also delicious. When I can have vinegar again, I'll post a recipe for that.

I'm just gonna jump right in here..

Start by heating some sesame oil in a pan over medium heat. Add a teensy bit of canola or vegetable oil (or any other flavorless oil with a high smoke point... I'm broke so I can't afford grapeseed oil or equavalent...) just to keep it all from burning. Add grated ginger to the oil once it is hot.

Give it a quick stir and drop in the onions and minced garlic, and give that a toss. Add salt and pepper to this to help sweat the onions.

Once the onions are fairly translucent, add your bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. I use the canned version because cleaning fresh vacuum packed bamboo is a pain in the bottom. Plus fresh water chestnuts are ridiculously difficult to find.

Cook until the bamboo gets a little softer, and most of the moisture has evaporated. Add your chicken and toss.

Meanwhile, get your soba noodles ready. you're going to want them on hand once the veggies are cooked. You boil them in the same way that you would boil spaghetti. I recommend that you keep them just under al dente because they will continue to cook in the pan and you don't want them to get gross and mushy. If they are done before your chicken is cooked, then drain and set aside. 

When your chicken is cooked almost all the way through, add your bok choy, bean sprouts, and half of your green onions. It will look like a lot and might even teeter at the edge of your pan and threaten to fall out. But rest assured, it all wilts down a LOT and will barely take up any room at all.

See? It is at this point that you would want to add your condiments to make it super amazing and delicious. If there were no sugar or vinegar, I would have added oyster sauce and hoisin sauce here. Even soy sauce. But alas, I cannot have any of those things. I added red chili flakes for some heat and some fish sauce plus half a lime that I had left over from my lunch. It still turned out pretty great. 

*sigh* my only real regret is that I didn't have any mushrooms! They would be delicious in here..

Once your veggies wilt down, add your noodles. If you have a little bit of chicken broth on hand, drizzle it over to break them up, or you can add a little more sesame oil. Give this another toss.

 Once everything is incorporated, add the rest of your green onions and sprinkle on some sesame seeds.

Soba Stir Fry 

Yield: 4 servings 

Prep time: 10 min 

Total time: 35 min 

Ingredients 

 2 bundles of soba (buckwheat) noodles 

2 tbsps sesame oil 

2 in. knob of ginger, peeled and grated 

4-5 cloves garlic, minced 

1 medium onion 

2   6-7 oz. chicken breasts 

1   8 oz. can of sliced water chestnuts, drained 

1   8 oz. can of sliced bamboo shoots, drained 

2-3 bunches of baby bok choy 

1 cup soy bean sprouts (or mung bean sprouts) 

3-4 green onions, sliced on the bias 

red chili flakes to taste 

3 dashes fish sauce 

juice from half of a lime 

salt and pepper to taste 

sesame seeds (optional) 

Directions 

In a large skillet, heat the sesame oil on medium. To prevent the sesame oil from burning, you can add a few drops of canola or vegetable oil here. Once the oil is hot, add the grated ginger. Sauté for a few seconds before adding the garlic and onions. Continue cooking until the onions start to soften and turn translucent. Add the bamboo and water chestnuts and cook, stirring every few minutes. Once the liquid that has accumulated has evaporated, add your chicken, and season with salt and pepper.  

Meanwhile, to a pot of boiling, salted water, add your soba noodles and cook until just under al dente, drain and set aside.  

Once the chicken is almost cooked through, add the bok choy, sprouts, and half of the green onions, salt and pepper, and sauté until the bok choy has wilted down. Add the chili flakes, fish sauce, and lime juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Before the liquid from the veggies and lime evaporates, add your noodles and toss to ensure they are all coated. Add the sesame seeds, if using, and the rest of the green onions and serve. 

Fun Alternatives 

This sauce is very light and healthy. For a heartier version, add 1 tsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp of hoisin sauce, and 1 tbsp of corn starch before you add your soba noodles. 

Add protein packed peas and tofu for a vegetarian option. Fresh shiitake mushrooms will give a great texture and meaty flavor too. 

Try serving this with a sunny side up or over easy egg over the top! The yolk will mix with the rest of the sauce and make it delicious and rich. 

20 Minute Cinnamon Almond Apple Streusel

WHAT? Two posts in a week?! I know, right?

So this recipe is GLUTEN free, SUGAR free, DAIRY free, and OVEN free. Yeah, and it only takes 20 minutes!!! It is sooooo yummy and simple!

First you start off with the granola topping:

which is gluten free oatmeal (I buy mine from Trader Joes), a little bit of cinnamon, chopped almonds (those are from Costco and they are already roasted and salted) and a teensy bit of olive oil. You should definitely add honey or maple syrup to this as it makes the finished granola sweeter and crispier. I am on a 30 day detox so I left it out. Since my almonds are salted, I left out the salt, but if yours are not, add a little pinch of salt too!

cook this over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Keep a close eye and NOSE out because the cinnamon will burn easily.

spread the mixture out onto a small cookies sheet lined with parchment and park this in the freezer until you need it.

I chopped up an apple into relatively uniform pieces, dropped in a dollop of almond butter, a splash of vanilla, and a dash of cinnamon (there are actual measurements below) and microwaved it on high for 5 minutes, stopping every minute to give it a stir. 3-4 minutes if you like a crisper apple, and 6 minutes if you like them softer.

The apples release yummy juices and mix with the almond butter, creating a really decadent sauce.

You can sprinkle the granola over the top right into your microwave safe bowl, or you can serve it up in a ramekin to make it feel like a naughty dessert that took hours to prepare.

Oh, and if you aren't on some crazy 30 day detox, this is delicious with a little non-fat Greek yogurt and a drizzle of honey. Or ice cream. Everything is better with ice cream...

Thanks for reading!

20 minute Almond and Apple Streusel 

Yield: 1 serving 

Prep time: 5 min 

Total time: 20 min 

Ingredients 

granola: 

¼ c. gluten free rolled oats 

small handful of dry roasted, salted almonds, chopped 

½ tsp. cinnamon 

1 tsp.  olive oil 

1 tsp. honey or pure maple syrup (optional) 

apple filling: 

1 medium granny smith apple, chopped into uniform pieces  

¼ tsp. cinnamon 

¼ tsp. vanilla 

¼ tsp. sea salt 

1 tbsp. almond butter (no sugar added) 

1 tsp. honey or pure maple syrup (optional) 

Directions 

For the granola: 

In a small pan, stir together the oats, almonds, cinnamon, olive oil, and honey (if using) over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes, or until the oats are golden brown and fragrant. Take the granola off of the head and distribute evenly onto a pan lined with parchment paper or foil. In order for the granola to be crunchy, everything needs to cool. To speed up this process, you can place the whole pan into the freezer, uncovered, until needed. 

For the apple filling: 

In a small microwave safe dish stir together the apples, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, almond butter, and honey (if using).  Microwave on high uncovered for 4-6 minutes depending on how crisp you want your apples to be. Stop the microwave and stir the apple mixture every minute. Let stand for about 1 minute after heating. 

Sprinkle the cooled granola over the top, and serve. 

Variations 

You can change the nuts and nut butter used here. For my current detox, there are no peanuts allowed, but this would be great with peanuts and peanut butter or pecans and cashew butter. Can't have nuts? Try sunflower seed butter and pumpkin seeds. 

This can also be served over ice cream or for a healthier option, with non fat Greek yogurt.