Copycat Takeout: Zoodle Lo Mein

I don’t crave Chinese takeout often, but when I do, something must be done about it :)

While I love the flavors of Chinese food, I don’t always love how I feel after. Often takeout leaves us feeling sluggish and overfull from the heavy cooking. We want to feel satisfied, nourished, and energized from our food. That’s why I came up with this high fiber flip on a takeout classic: zoodle lo mein!

This recipe can be made with whatever veggie noodles you like. I prefer zoodles, but you can use carrot noodles, butternut squash noodles, or mix and match different types! (Now that I’m thinking about it, carrot noodles + zoodles would be an amazing combo for this dish.) You can also use any type of protein. While this recipe calls for scrambled eggs, you can use chicken, shrimp, tofu, fish, or even some ground turkey meat.

What you’ll need:

1 pack pre-spiralized zucchini noodles (or veggie noodles of choice)

4 eggs, beaten

1-2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

⅓ c frozen edamame beans

1 tbsp avocado oil

2 tbsp rice vinegar

1-2 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari

(Optional teaspoon of cornstarch if you want the sauce a little thicker)

Sesame seeds and crushed red pepper for garnish

Steps:

1. Add garlic and avocado oil to a pan on medium heat and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Meanwhile, thaw edamame beans in the microwave in a bowl of water.

2. Add sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, & edamame beans to the pan and stir. Add the zucchini noodles and cook to desired preference. Crunchier zoodles will be pale and slightly more flimsy than raw zoodles and cook 3-4 minutes. More well zoodles are translucent and cook 4+ minutes. Be sure to toss zoodles as you cook so they heat evenly and absorb all the flavor!

3. Meanwhile, scramble your eggs. When eggs are done, toss into zoodle mixture to absorb flavor. *If using a different protein, cook your protein until desired doneness but do not season. You will toss your protein in the sauce with the edamame beans before the zoodles go in.

4. Garnish with sesame seeds and crushed red pepper flakes for spice.

Other things you can do to enhance this recipe:

1. Add snow peas, thinly sliced carrots, and broccoli for more veggie value & bulk.

2. Add 1/2 - 1 cup cooked quinoa for extra complex carb & protein power.

3. Add some scallions for more flavor factor.

4. Cook whole protein options and serve this as your side (a salmon filet with zoodle lo mein on the side…yum!)

You can customize this recipe however you like, and the best part is you can make it in 20 minutes! No need to worry about life getting in the way of a tasty and healthy dinner.

Give this one a try and see how you like!

By Jessica Kaplan