Recipe: American "Lo Mein"

Just a disclaimer ~ this is as Chinese as fortune cookies (meaning it's as American as apple pie). If you're looking for an authentic lo mein recipe, I'd suggest looking elsewhere, and not trusting something written by a New Jersey chick living in Virginia.

However, if you're looking for a quick and easy dish that's full of Asian-inspired flavor, then this just might be a good recipe for you! I basically cobbled it together from a few different sources, the main one being whatever's in my pantry at the moment, so there's nothing exact about it. Try it out, twist it up, turn it over, and see what works best for you.

NOTE: I use one type of meat with this (beef mostly, sometimes chicken), and usually only use snow peas as the vegetable, but that's just me. Make this with any meat you like (or tofu, seafood, or no meat at all for vegetarian varieties). You can also use any vegetables you prefer -- any stir-fry veggies would work great, such as thinly sliced bell peppers, onions, water chestnuts, peas, snow peas, sugar snap peas, carrots, broccoli, Chinese cabbage ... the list is endless.

For a more authentic "lo mein" taste, use whole wheat pasta. If you're unfamiliar with it, don't worry -- angel hair pasta is so thin, you won't notice it's whole wheat when you eat it, and hey, it's better for you! I use Barilla Plus myself, because the carbs are low and the fiber is high (both good for people with diabetes).

American Lo Mein

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 lb. thinly sliced meat (beef, chicken, pork)
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2-3 cups frozen stir-fry vegetables
2-3 tbsp. sesame seeds
1 cup scallions, chopped
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup red wine vinaigrette salad dressing
1 tsp. sugar
1 lb. angel hair pasta
salt & pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot enough, toss in garlic and meat. While the meat cooks, add in ginger, onion powder, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir frequently until cooked (5-8 minutes for chicken, more for beef or pork).

2. Put a pot of water on high heat for the pasta. When it boils, salt the water, add the pasta, and reduce to medium-high heat. Keeping the water at a rolling boil helps prevent the pasta from sticking.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, red wine vinaigrette salad dressing, and sugar until combined. You can use red wine vinegar (or any other you may have on hand) instead of the salad dressing, but I like the flavor of the dressing.

3. When the meat is thoroughly cooked, add your frozen vegetables. Cook times vary depending on which vegetables you use -- snow peas cook up in a few minutes, whereas something like broccoli might take longer. Stir frequently to keep from burning the meat.

4. Once the veggies are cooked to your liking, add the sesame seeds, scallions, and soy sauce mixture to the pan. Reduce the heat to simmer. Now you're just waiting for the pasta to finish cooking.

5. When the pasta is done (5 minutes or so al dente), drain it and return it to the pot. Return the pot to the stove and reduce the heat to simmer. Add the meat and vegetable mixture to the pasta and stir to combine everything together. Let it cook another few minutes to bring it all together.

6. Serve with a green salad and extra soy sauce, if desired.

Serves 4. Can be easily modified to serve only one or two as needed.