Chile-Lime Noodles: A Dish Cooked My Way

Nothing is better than a home cooked meal on Sunday night, especially if you were away for the weekend and am settling in back at home.

I spent the weekend in NYC and on the way home on Sunday, I looked through my Vegeterian Times magazine to figure out what I wanted to cook. I found this delicious recipe for chile-lime noodles and decided to give it a shot.

I have to warn you that even though I have a pretty good track record with the husband for putting together some yummy dishes, there are some things you need to know:

1) I never follow the recipe. Unfortunately, it is not because I am creative. This usually occurs because I forget or can’t find an ingredient at the grocery store. 

2) I make a mess! It is very rare that I can keep whatever I am cooking just in the bowl or pan. 

3) The picture of dish I am modeling after usually never looks the same. I will let you be the judge of this one.

Now that you have been warned, here are details and pictures of my cooking adventure.

The picture of the dish

The recipe and directions of how to make it (in case you’re interested)

Recipe change #1: Brown rice noodles instead of cellophane noodles

Step 1: Put the noodles in hot water

Step 2: Mix the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili garlic sauce and lime juice. I would reduce the amount of soy sauce. I felt like this was a little too over powering.

Recipe change #2: Tofu instead of seitan (hubby is not a fan of seitan)

Step 3: Put sesame oil in skillet with tofu and mushrooms. The add a little bit more oil and bok choy and bean sprouts.

Step 4: Combine everything together! This is where things got a little crazy and I made a mess and had to mix everything together a big mixing bowl. See aftermath of mess below:

Finishing touches: Honey roasted almonds (instead of peanuts) and basil.

What do you think? 🙂

Dish review: 

• Filling?: Yes, very! Perfect for a cozy winter Sunday night.
• Taste?: The soy sauce was a little over powering and I did not taste much of the lime juice or chili sauce. If I were to make this again, I would play with the sauce ingredients measurements.
• Healthy?: Yes, you have your protein (tofu, almonds), carbs (rice noodles) and vegetables (bok choy, mushrooms, bean sprouts). 
• Calorie conscious?: You have to be careful with this one. It is 400 calories per serving and the serving size is a bit smaller. I think I definitely eat 2 servings by accident! Opps!