Easy Vegetarian Chow Mein

Truly an easy dish that takes under 15 minutes to prepare and serve.  Hold the sodium, msg and God knows what else they put in there and Welcome a nutritious substitute.  We use Braggs Amino Acids instead of soy sauces and a melody of fresh vegetables to make this Chow Mein a healthy alternative.  Chinese takeout has nothing on this dish!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pieces or 85g of dry Chow Mein (Gluten Free) Noodles

1/4 cup Mirin

2 tbsp Braggs Amino Acid or 1/3 cup low-sodium Soy Sauce

1/2 cup broccoli (Chopped)

1/2 red pepper (Sliced)

1 clove of garlic (Minced/thinly sliced)

1/2 small onion (Thinly sliced)

1/8 tsp of ginger (Grated/Finely minced)

1 tsp of grape seed oil or any oil of your choice

Preparation:

1. Boil Chow Mein noodles according to package direction, in the last 2 minutes add chopped broccoli and drain.  

2. Heat oil in a medium nonstick pan over med-low heat and add onion, garlic and ginger.

4. Add red peppers, mirin and amino acids/soy sauce and let it come to a soft bubble.

5. Gently toss in noodles and broccoli until just combined.

Serves about 2-4 people depending on your portion size. 

*Note I have substituted rice noodles instead of the chow mein.  I have also tossed in a 1/2 cup of cooked shredded chicken from the store to please my meat eating boyfriend.   

Savoury Gluten-Free Pancakes

This simple, forgiving recipe takes under 30 minutes to prepare and is delicious to boot.  We discovered that gram flour (also known as besan - found in an Indian grocery store) is not only gluten free but also very low in the glycemic index.  Plagued by Gestational Diabetes in the last trimester of pregnancy, Tams was craving something… delicious - something that would not raise her blood sugar but would still satisfy her carb-filled fantasies.

Crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, these pancakes are perfect for breakfast or lunch, serve with yogurt and sprinkling of cumin seeds (like we did), or with guacamole.

Trust us when we say, these pancakes will definitely satisfy.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup of gram flour

1 1/4 cup water

1/2 of a medium onion (finely chopped)

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garam masala

Handful of coriander chopped

1/2 tsp salt (add more as per your taste) and pepper

4 tablespoons of grape seed oil or any oil of your choice

Preparation:

1. Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl.  

2. Add one cup of water - Whisk with a fork. Add more water as needed to thin out. The consistency should be runny - a little thinner than pancake batter.

3. Heat oil in a small to medium non stick pan.

4. Using a ladle, add 1 to 1 1/2 ladle of batter to the pan and swirl around pan until it evenly coats the entire surface of pan.

5. Sprinkle oil on the top part of the pancake before you flip.

6. Brown on both sides.  Repeat until batter done.

Makes about 4-6 pancakes depending on size of your pan.  Serve with Yogurt with toasted cumin seeds or guacamole.