Asian Inspired Brown Rice Noodle Bowl

We had to make a quick dinner last Thursday. I get home from work at 5:15ish, & we needed to cook & eat in an hour before heading out again. I was originally going to make a pasta with tomato sauce (that I made & froze earlier), but I was in the mood for something different. This dish came together quickly, especially with the Bup helping chop veggies while I mixed the sauce.

We had a few moments of panic when the water wouldn't come to a boil. Somehow the flame went out on the burner, but it was still pumping gas out into the air! Luckily the Bup discovered what happened before we got gassed out. Even with the set-back, we still had time to do the dishes before leaving.

I love the many flavors of Asian cooking. There is such a variety of sauces & they all have their own unique differences that really bring something to a dish. As a vegetarian, it's always a joy to go to an Asian style restaurant because their foods rely heavily on whole grains & veggies. 

This dish had equal parts crunch & chew, plus some creamy bites due to the avocado. The sauce does have a kick to it from the chili garlic sauce, so if you are sensitive to heat, you may want to omit that. It would change the flavor a bit, but it would still be good. I hope you get the chance to make this. I know we'll be making it again. I can't wait!

 

Asian Inspired Brown Rice Noodle Bowl

Serves 4

 

8 oz. brown rice noodles

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

2 large or 4 small bell peppers, sliced

1 jalapeno, diced

3 oz. edamame (fresh or frozen)

1 carrot, shredded

1 avocado, diced

juice from 1 lime

1/4 c rice vinegar

1 T toasted sesame oil

3-4 T Bragg Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)

1 T natural creamy peanut butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. chili garlic sauce (like this)

1/2 tsp. sea salt

2 tsp. honey

1-2 T water, if needed to thin
1/4 c peanuts

Start the heat under a large pot of water to begin to bring it to a boil. Saute the onion, bell peppers, jalapeno, carrot, & edamame over medium heat for about 6-7 minutes, or until the veggies soften. 

In a small bowl, gently toss the avocado with the fresh lime juice (this prevents browning). Set aside. Whisk all of the remaining ingredients together in a separate bowl.

Once the veggies and sauce are ready, cook the rice noodles according to package directions.*  Drain & combine noodles, veggies & sauce in a large serving bowl. Serve immediately. Top each serving with about 1 T of peanuts.

*Rice noodles take such a short time to cook that it's best to wait so that you can mix everything together as soon as they are done cooking.

Inspired by Grubarazzi's Avocado Rice Noodles

Tasty Tidbits

I seriously can't resist this tiny bundle of fur. She is truly a terror around the house & my hands are covered in little scratches, but I can't even stay mad at her!

She was so content, cuddled down in the blanket. Then I wanted to take her picture & she got all grumpy.

It was a busy week & next week is looking even busier. Deep breaths; it's going to fly by!

 This fall weather is gorgeous. Get out & enjoy the crisp, cool air. Have a great weekend everyone!

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Mango Banana Green Smoothies
• Blueberry yogurt with cherry & honey lentil granola 
• Eating Well's Cranberry Apple Coffee Cake
• Pumpkin Cranberry Baked Oatmeal
• Bananas & crunchy peanut butter

Lunches

• Leftovers
• Sandwiches
• Brown rice with peanut sauce & steamed kale
• Panera Bread for a lunch date! (Tomato Soup & Salad)
• Apples

Dinners

Saturday:

• Tracy's Pumpkin Hazelnut Grilled Cheese - Oh.my. This was fantastic. I used a local raw smoked cheddar cheese in this & it blended so well with the hazelnut & pumpkin. The Bup did comment that the pumpkin made the inside of the bread mushy, but I think that was party due to my pumpkin being very wet.
• Joy's Baked Chili Fries (minus the cheese) - These had quite the kick! I loved how crispy they got, especially since usually baked fries aren't so crisp.
• Broccoli with celery & red onions

Sunday:

• Veggie Summer Rolls with peanut sauce
• Roasted beets

Monday:

• Bon Appetit's Frascatelli with Pecorino & Mustard Greens - This did not turn out like the pictures! It was still good, just not quite like we expected. My Frascatelli did not stay in nice nugget forms, so it was more of a mash than individual pieces. Still, the flavors were excellent.

Tuesday:

• Kale & Feta Portobello Caps
• Sweet potato fries
• Simple Sauteed Cabbage with Carrots

Wednesday:

• Whole Wheat Spinach Pasta with Pumpkin Cheeze Sauce 
• Green Salad

Thursday:  

• Brown rice noodles with an Asian sauce, avocado & bell peppers

Friday:
Visiting family

• Out to eat

Treats

• Eating Well's Cranberry Apple Coffee Cake - I altered this a little, using all white whole wheat flour, coconut oil, & less refined sugars. I'm so excited that it's cranberry season!!!
• Cherry Walnut Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
• Heidi's Pumpkin Hot Chocolate - I liked the flavor of this, but it was actually too creamy for us. I usually make hot cocoa with water instead.
• Trader Joe's Sipping Chocolate (apparently we were in a hot cocoa mood this week!)

Kale & Feta Portobello Caps

Along with our cabbage side dish, I made baked portobello caps. They look kinda fancy, but they were super quick to make. This whole meal came together in about 40 minutes, most of which was baking time.

I don't like my portobellos to be too juicy, so I prefer to bake or grill them with the gill side down first to cook off some of the juices. After that, I turn them over, top them, & bake them a little longer until heated through.  The Bup likes his a little juicer, so when he's grilling, he'll keep mine gill side down for almost the entire cooking time.

Since kale really shrinks when it cooks, I pre-cooked it prior to topping the mushroom caps. That way it would stay on easier & I could fit more on there. It also cut down on the baking time, since the kale mixture just needed to be heated instead of complete cooking.

This meal had a lot of flavors, but they went so well together! It was surprisingly warming, which made for a perfect dinner on a crisp fall night.

Kale & Feta Portobello Caps

Serves 2-3

3 large portobello caps, washed & destemmed (save the stems)

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

3 leaves of kale, destemmed & chopped

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

3 T feta cheese, divided

3 tsp. Balsamic vinegar, divided

Preheat oven to 400*F. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Place mushroom caps gill side down on the baking sheet & bake for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, chop the stems that you removed from the caps. Cook stems, garlic, & kale in a skillet over medium heat until the kale is wilted. Add red pepper flakes if desired.

Remove baked caps from the oven & drain juices from the baking sheet. Turn the caps over so they are gill side up. Top with equal parts of the kale mixture. Then add 1 T feta cheese & 1 tsp. Balsamic vinegar each. Return to oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until heated through. They can be served now, or placed under the broiler for about 3 minutes to lightly brown the feta cheese (highly suggested!). Enjoy!