Quick and Easy Vegetable Lo Mein
Asian food. I am obsessed. And I’m so glad my kids like and eat it too.
If they didn’t, we’d have serious problems in this house.
If you have children, you know some can be finicky eaters which makes for some stressed out parents. But let me share this: if the kids are hungry, they will eat. If they refuse to eat and want to sit there, let them.. because when they get hungry, they will eat. And if they stage a hunger strike or throw a fit, ground rules need to be set and established. In order to teach her kids not to waste food and that they can’t always get what they want, a friend of mine will sometimes make her kids eat what they did not eat for lunch, for dinner.
I wanted to make sure my kids knew I wasn’t their short order cook so I set some ground rules early on. They eat what I give them. Sometimes, I will give them two choices and will let them (ie: Phoebe) choose. If she could, this little kid would eat corn dogs, mashed potatoes and udon noodles everyday. And sometimes, like tonight, I give them a slight variation of what my husband and I are eating. They love veggie lo mein but don’t like green onions or bell peppers so I pick out the bell peppers and don’t put green onions on theirs. Easy peasy. And please don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying to be the Kitchen Nazi when it comes to dinner and cooking for your children. . but just remember, you are the parent. Eating habits are established early and hey, there’s no harm in presenting new foods and vegetables and laying down the ground rules for your kids. Meal time should be enjoyable but they also need to be getting a good balance of fruits and vegetables. When we introduce new foods, we always make our kids take at least one or two bites. After that, if they don’t want to eat it, it’s fine. And then, later, we try to introduce it again. I’ve heard to try three times and then if they don’t like it after the third time, there’s a good chance they will never like or eat it.
But who really knows with kids right? I say, just keep trying.
This recipe is simple, quick and delicious. You can use whatever vegetables you have in the fridge. . if I had broccoli, I would have added it. Prepare the noodles, cook up the vegetables, toss everything up and you are done. This one is perfect for a week night dinner and will hopefully be quickly slurped up, even by your little picky eaters!
I hope you enjoy!
- 2-3 tablespoons sesame oil + more if needed
- a variety of vegetables; chopped. I added about 1-2 cups of EACH veggie (carrots, sugar snap peas, cremini and/or shiitake mushrooms, onions, red bell peppers, shredded cabbage)
- 1-2 cloves garlic; minced
- salt
- 12 ounces linguine noodles
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 3-4 tablespoons Chinese oyster sauce
- green onions; diced for garnish
- In a large wok or non-stick skillet, heat your sesame oil. (At the same time, prepare your boiling water for the pasta.) After a minute or 2, add all of your chopped vegetables and garlic into the wok or skillet and saute for a few minutes. Season with salt and continue tossing for a few minutes longer until the vegetables are tender but not too soft.
- While you are cooking your vegetables, boil your linguine noodles as well. Cook to al dente, according to package directions (about 7-9 minutes). Drain and set aside.
- When the vegetables and noodles are ready, add the noodles into the wok. Add the chicken broth, soy sauce and oyster sauce. Toss for a few minutes or until well combined. Taste and season with more soy sauce and/or oyster sauce as needed. Garnish with the green onions and serve immediately.
This recipe is meant to be easier and quick. This is why I threw in all of the veggies at once; ideal for a weeknight dinner. Adapted from Food and Wine.
