YakiZoodle with Veggies and Edamame

This is a spur of the moment post, just because I want to share an idea more so than a recipe. Although a recipe is included, feel free to do what you do, but whatever you do…try zucchini noodles!!

Last night, in my home kitchen, having gone through the rotation of Mexican, Italian, American and Indian dishes over the course of the week, I pulled together an Asian- inspired meal on the fly.

I don’t know if I ever mentioned how much I LOVE noodles, particularly Japanese Yakisoba style, which is like fried rice, but with buckwheat soba or udon.

I steamed a handful of pot stickers from the freezer as a first course, then followed them with these tasty zucchini noodles fried up with vegetables, edamame and my secret ingredient: TOM YUM PASTE  Spicy, savory and delicious!

Yaki Zoodle with Veggies and Edmame

Ingredients

2 large zucchini

2 cups assorted vegetables, cut small for faster cooking (whatever you have in the fridge)

3/4 cup edamame, shelled and thawed (if frozen)

Asian flavoring paste like Tom Yum (or a combination of soy sauce, garlic and chili paste, like Sambal Oelek will work)

Sesame oil for saute

Method:

1. Spiralize the zucchini into noodles using a spiral cutter, or you can also make ribbons with a vegetable peeler and then cut the ribbons into thin noodle-like strips.
2. In a large skillet over medium high heat, saute vegetables in a bit of sesame oil until tender-crisp. I start with the hard vegetables first: celery and onions that take a little longer, then add the softer, faster cooking veggies, in stages, ending with the edamame, which only needs to be heated.

3.  When the veggies are all cooked and hot, remove them from the pan and set aside.

4.  Take a bit more oil (about 1 tbsp) and heat it gently, then add the Tom Yum paste (about 1 tbsp should do it) whisk it together until blended. It won’t totally blend, but you are just looking to distribute the paste for the zoodles.

5. Add the zucchini noodles to the pan, stirring to heat and slightly soften over medium-high heat. Once the zucchini looks about halfway cooked, add the veggies back in and increase the heat to medium high, getting everything nice and hot. The seasonings will be well distributed all over the zucchini and the vegetables. Taste and add more if desired.

Serve immediately!

Note: NEVER overcook veggies. Apply only enough heat to soften them so they are edible.  This will give you the best flavor and texture, not to mention more nutrients. Trust me, an overcooked veggie is a completely different veggie than a properly cooked one. For this recipe, honestly most of the veggies could just be thrown in raw at the end and eaten crunchy anyway. Your choice.