Day 12: Tuesday Oct 30 ~ Healthy Ramen Noodles ~

~ Healthy Ramen Noodles ~

I saw my friend's excellent post about Soba Noodles today (http://thegoodthedadandthebaby.com/?p=4085) and thought - that's it! That is what I need - a healthy ramen noodle recipe. :) I needed something simple, quick, but warm and yummy tonight - and ramen noodles do hit the comfort food list, keeping with our theme.

I believe almost everyone has had a brief, intense affair with ramen noodles. What about you? Ever succumb to the block o noodles and super spice packet? My first was a transitory period for my family when we first moved to MI, adventuring at a hotel while the purchase of our new house was being processed. Lunch was ramen and "Lost in Space". Those were memorable days. Next of course the college days, even though I was commuting from home. There was a good 6 months+ of 2 a.m. ramen and "Voyager" reruns. Then there was when we moved out to Phoenix with essentially nothing but the clothes on our backs. First month was peanut butter sammiches and chicken ramen. Sad to say no Sci-Fi tv watching occurred this time. ;0 Tonight though, I expect we'll hit another Supernatural while enjoying our homemade ramen. :)

Anyway, now that you know my life history with ramen noodles, I'll get on to the recipe.
The recipe: http://weelicious.com/2012/01/30/healthy-ramen-noodle-soup/
* MISO - you DO NOT want to boil the miso like they say in the recipe! That kills the healing enzymes and microorganisms/whole purpose of miso. I suppose if you just wanted it for flavor, okay - but you may as well get the full benefit out of it. :) So I would recommend dissolving it separately in some warm water on the side, then adding the miso to the mix right before serving. (I held the 1 cup of water the recipe calls for, dissolved the miso in it, then just stirred in right before I turned off the heat.)
* I used the sweet white miso - love the South River Miso company. They have great, small size sampler packs (as most Western diets don't require a lot of miso!) - and they are very friendly, providing personalized customer service. http://www.southrivermiso.com/store/c/6-Miso-Samplers-Gift-Packs.html
* Also - used soba noodles instead of the block pre-packed. There is a lot of fat in ramen noodles - and it's not just the seasoning packet that's dangerous if I remember correctly!
* Veggie stock v. chicken stock.
* Bragg's Liquid Aminos v. soy sauce.
* Only 1 Tbsp Mirin (Japanese rice cooking wine) because Jesse doesn't like 'wine' taste. (shh...don't tell him I put some in!)
* Scallions only in mine as Jesse hates onions of any name. ;0

I guess this isn't really a balanced meal or anything (but a lot better than regular ramen! some protein with the liquid aminos and miso at least) - if you wanted to bulk it up, I would recommend adding some kale in. I just felt like slurpin' noodles tonight though. :)