Easy Vegetable Chow Mein

Do you love Chinese food? You can make your own easy vegetable chou mein.

Ever since I can remember, vegetable chou mien has been one of my favorite Chinese dishes. 

I love the mild and comforting flavor of sauteed onions, cabbage, and celery.  Over rice, it provides a filling meal that is healthy and delicious. 

When I was a little girl, we lived about 4 miles out of the city of Trenton, New Jersey. In those days all of the restaurants were in the center of town. 

There was only one Chinese restaurant and we enjoyed going there for their lunch specials. I would order chou mien and my mother would order sub-gum chou mien. The only difference between the two being whole balanced almonds. 

It's been a full year since we've gone out to eat in a Chinese restaurant, so I decided to make my own Chinese chou mein.  I used some non-GMO cornstarch to make a delicious sauce and topped it with some crushed peanuts, freshly squeezed lime, and fresh cilantro. 

It came out so good that my husband asked for seconds. 

Ingredients: 

1 cup of cooked rice per person set aside

2 cups of onion, sliced in half moons

1 cup of sliced sweet red peppers

1 cup of sliced celery

2 cups of sliced white cabbage

1/2 cup of vegetable broth, divided

optional: Cracked pepper to taste

1 Tablespoon of cornstarch mixed into 1 cup of water

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 

1/2 teaspoon onion powder 

fresh lime

1/2 cup of chopped cilantro

1/4 cup of chopped peanuts or chopped blanched almonds

Directions: 

Heat a large skillet. Add onions and allow to sautee in its own juices for 2 minutes, stirring. Add red pepper, celery, cabbage and half of the broth. Sautee in the juices for about 5 minutes. Add garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Stir together, and add the cornstarch that has been dissolved in water. Reduce heat to low, cover the skillet, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking or burning. If it needs more liquid , use the other half of the broth.

Serve over white or brown rice (your choice). Top with chopped cilantro and a good squeeze of lime. 

Don't have time to make rice for this recipe? 

I make baggy size packets of cooked rice to keep in my freezer (see link) for just this occasion.

Notes: 

This recipe is compliant with Dr. McDougall's diet book called, The Starch Solution ( link) and the philosophy of Forks Over Knives (link) .  

It is a Whole Food Plant-based no oil recipe. I highly recommend reading The Starch Solution if you are looking for a way to lose weight, eat healthier, and still be able to eat potatoes, rice, and other starches.

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