Week 6 Recipes - Meatless Monday Lo Mein (Cabbage, Fennel Bulb)

Is the cabbage from the week 6 delivery still in your refrigerator?  If you find you are having trouble using it all, then here is an option - Meatless Monday Lo mein.  Lo mein is offered on the menu of many Asian restaurants, but is probably more American than Chinese.  Typically it is a combination of vegetables and meat in sauce mixed with cooked noodles.  In this version, tofu is substituted for the meat and may even fool some into thinking the dish contains chicken (well, not really, but at least it gives the appearance of chicken!). 

This dish is very simple to make once you have all the vegetables washed and chopped because everything is stir fried at once.  You can actually use any vegetables you have on hand, but the fennel gives this dish a unique flavor and the cabbage stays nice and crunchy for a beautiful texture.  You can really use as much fennel as you like, so if you still have the entire bulb, just use it all.

Because I like my family to eat some greens every day, I  serve this dish with a side salad of Clarion River Organics lettuce and cucumbers.


Meatless Monday Lo Mein Noodles

1 lb noodles of choice (I used brown rice spaghetti style pasta)
2-3 cups chopped Clarion River Organics green cabbage
1/2 Clarion River Organics Fennel bulb including parts of green stalks, sliced thin
2 medium carrots, grated
1 or 2 inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
1/2 cup onion, sliced or chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
5-6 shitaake mushrooms, optional
1 lb extra firm tofu, cubed
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp olive oil (or any vegetable oil)
2 tsp sesame oil
cilantro for garnish, optional

The veggies you will need - about a 3-inch
wedge of cabbage should do it!

All veggies can go into the pan at once so
just pile them up on a plate as you prepare each.

Cook noodles according to package directions.  When noodles are done, drain and return to pot.  Cover to keep warm while vegetables cook.

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat with the olive oil.  When hot add all vegetables (cabbage through mushrooms) at once and stir fry two minutes.  Add tofu and continue to stir fry 2-3 minutes.  Add the soy sauce, cover pan tightly, turn heat down slightly and cook 5 minutes.  Add veggie/soy sauce mixture and sesame oil to the warm noodles.  Toss to combine and serve at once garnished with cilantro (if desired).  Serves 4-5.