Last night I was home alone with my son.  So, I was tempted to have cheese & crackers for dinner, or leftover pizza, or even some leftover Halloween candy.  Hey, there’s milk in chocolate, right? 

But, I tried to be “good” and cook something for us that would be healthy.  I made this, and sort of deconstructed it for my son.  He had the noodles, with a side of the mushrooms and some carrots, without the sauce. 

I got the idea to make this at the gym the other day.  Yep, I was “that” person who, while reading a magazine that belonged to the gym, tore a page out and took it with me.  I’d had Japchae at a Korean restaurant in Chicago a few times, and when I saw this recipe in Women’s Health magazine, I had to try it.  It stated that the cooking & prep time was only 20 minutes, so it was a perfect weeknight meal.  I did use my mandoline to chop both the onion and julienne the carrots.  This saved a ton of time as well.

Japchae

courtesy of Women’s Health Magazine

serves: 4
WW points: 7

2 Tbsp sesame seeds
3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp sugar (*** I used slightly less than 1 Tbsp in the sauce, and I didn’t use the 1 tsp at all)
2 tsp hot pepper paste (kochujang) (*** I have 2 kinds of hot pepper paste at home, neither called “kochujang”, so I ended up using the one I like best!)
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1/2 lb soba noodles (***I had whole wheat thin spaghetti on hand, so I used this instead)
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
5 oz baby spinach
3 oz enoki mushrooms, ends trimmed (*** I couldn’t find these at my local store, so I ended up using canned mushrooms from the Asian aisle that I found.  I was delighted when my 3 yr old started eating them up!)

In a dry skillet, toast sesame seeds over medium heat until golden brown, stirring frequently. Remove fromskillet and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sugar, hot pepper paste, and sesame oil; set aside. Prepare noodles according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil in awok or large skillet. Add yellow onion and carrot; cook for 4 minutes. Add garlic, green onion, red pepper, spinach, 1 teaspoon sugar, and salt and pepper to taste; cook for 3 minutes. Stir in noodles and sauce; heat for 2 minutes. Serve topped with enoki mushrooms and toasted sesame seeds.

~M