Deliciousness - Vegetarian GLUTEN-FREE Asian Noodles

In a word….DELISCIOUSNESS.  That’s just what you will experience if you try these Vegetarian, Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Asian Noodles.  I have refined the recipe several times and think it’s worth sharing at this point.  I mean, to do anything other than that would be just plain unfair. J   

For me, pasta is a staple, as are vegetables.  The vegetable part is easy but if you are trying to avoid that glutinous gluten food, that’s where it becomes a bit tricky.  Gluten, which is Latin for GLUE!, is a protein found in some foods and food additives.  Most popularly, we are subject to gluten through wheat products as gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and malts. 

The gluten intolerance and sensitivity is becoming for of a hot topic domestically as of late.  One example of the current focus is at The University of Maryland.  Researchers and faculty there are working with General Mills to educate Americans about gluten and their diets.   However in Europe they have been addressing gluten’s effect on human health for years.  Because the majority of American cuisine is based on wheat products, the Americans are suffering, sometimes silently, more than necessary.

There are easy ways to build meals around these restrictions.  I like to think of them not as restrictions but options for alternative.  So if I want pasta, instead of using wheat product pasta, I can choose pasta made from alternative flours: quinoa, brown rice, corn, for starters.  For this recipe I used Annie Chun’s Maifun Brown Rice Noodles  http://www.anniechun.com/node/851.  Try this out….

Vegetarian GLUTEN-FREE Asian Noodle                                                             serves 4 as main meal

INGREDIENTS for homemade teriyaki sauce                                       

¼ c. soy sauce                                                                       Heat all ingredients until the sugars dissolve.

1/8 c. water

1 T. rice wine vinegar

2 ½ T. brown sugar

1/8 c. sugar (agave, honey, maple)

¾ t. minced garlic

¾ t. ginger

INGREDIENTS for Asian Noodles

Bunch of scallions, sliced long and thin in 1 ½ inch pieces

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 head of cabbage, cut thinly (I add additional veggies, broccoli, water chestnuts, whatever I have)

1 red pepper, sliced in strips

3 carrots, sliced into thin strips

2 T. vegetable oil

1 T. curry

1 package brown rice noodles, cook as package directs

4 eggs, scrambled with a few dashes of curry and a drop of sesame oil                                                                                   (sometimes is substitute tofu for the eggs, in that case, cube one block of tofu)

1 t. chili garlic sauce

1 c. vegetable broth

Homemade teriyaki sauce

Instructions for meal creation:

1 – Prepared all vegetable and bowl for later.

2 – Make homemade teriyaki sauce.

3 – Scramble eggs.

4 – Cook noodles.  Drain and toss with sesame oil.

5 – Begin meal completion.  Heat vegetable oil in large wok.  Start with sautéing scallions, carrots, red peppers, garlic and cabbage.   Stir in curry powder until you can smell its essence.

6 – Add teriyaki sauce to stir-fry.  Then add vegetable broth and bring to a boil.

7- Mix in scrambled eggs and noodles.  Coat all ingredients well.

8 – Serve and enjoy.

**Link for Gluten Sensitive Resources at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital’s Gluten Intolerance Group (might be good for those close to Philly)

http://www.gluten.net/