yakiudon (stir fried udon noodles)

Upon relocating to Portland this past summer, my babes and I have dived head on into our interest in exploring asian flavors and cooking techniques - thanks to the ease of sourcing so many ingredients that were not commonly found in northern Michigan grocery stores. King of those explorations for me personally has been Japanese noodle dishes. From rich homemade ramen broths packed with fresh noodles to traditional Japanese hot pots to stir fried noodles like these... I'm in noodle heaven! 

This noodle heaven is 100% supported by the ease of acquiring fresh noodles here in Portland, which open up a whole new world of flavor creation and exploration. I've gotten in the habit of purchasing a rather large quantity when we get out to the big asian grocery stores, and keeping them in the freezer so we always have them on hand. If you live far from sources of ingredients like these, might I suggest doing the same... I highly doubt you'll be disappointed! That said, if you don't have access to fresh noodles, this dish will still taste absolutely great if made with dry noodles. 

This noodle dish I'm sharing with you today comes together in less than twenty minutes and is packed with major umami flavors, as so many Japanese dishes are. It's a simple sautee of veggies, some protein, those comforting noodles, and a basic sauce. They make a magical quick weeknight dinner, and may just be the ultimate comfort food. 

You're welcome. 

I've included a whole list of options for adding protein to this dish, because I know everyone has different protein preferences, and these noodles will work with any one of them. Personally, I used slices of pork shoulder that was cooked in a previous dinner's ramen broth. As for the veggies, carrots and asian greens are a traditional take on this dish but you can easily mix things up by including any combination of veggies you have on hand. This dish is an ultimate fridge-clearing dinner!! 

Yakiudon (Stir Fried Udon Noodles) 

Inspired by I am a Food Blog and a lifelong love of stir fried noodles! 

Makes one hearty portion, or two smaller portions perfect for serving alongside a big salad. 

ingredients: 

1 Tbsp high heat oil (I use sunflower) 

1/2 medium onion - diced 

1 medium carrot - sliced into thin rounds or rectangles 

6 oz fresh udon noodles - cooked (or dried udon, though do buy the fresh if you can!)

4oz beef, chicken, pork or tofu - cooked and cut into small pieces

3 Tbsp soy sauce 

3 Tbsp mirin 

1 Tbsp sesame oil 

1 tsp dashi powder

1 cup tatsoi (or bok choy) - roughly chopped

scallions to garnish 

instructions: 

• Heat oil in a medium pan over medium heat, then add onions. Sautee until the onions become translucent, about five minutes. 
• Add the carrots and continue to sautee, stirring occasionally, until the onions are browning and the carrots have softened a bit. 
• Add cooked noodles and protein, soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, and dashi powder and carefully toss until noodles are evenly coated. 
• Continue cooking and stirring occasionally until all ingredients are hot (in case the noodles and protein weren't hot when you added them). Finally, toss in the tatsoi and stir to combine, leaving the pan over the heat until the tatsoi has cooked just slightly (this takes less than one minute). 
• Remove from heat, and garnish with scallions. 

black bean & squash tacos

My babe and I took this weekend as an extra long one to go for an adventure in Seattle, where we had so many wonderful meals out (most of which involved chopsticks). Some of our favorites were a sushi omakase (chef's choice coursed meal) at the sustainable sushi house Mashiko and a meal of amazing house-made soba noodles at Miyabi 45th. I'd highly recommend visiting those spots if you ever find yourself on your own Seattle adventure! 

Amazing meals aside, we're both always itching to get back in our own kitchen after being on vacation where we're eating out on a regular basis. Babe made some AMAZING tempeh green curry as his first foray back in the kitchen, and I spent the better part of a day slowly working through the creation of this recipe while taking advantage of long cooking times to get some housework done. 

Now, for the tacos! 

Tacos are pure heaven in my mind, and they grace our table on a rather regular basis as they can be a quick affair. While often the answer to what we put inside of our tacos is based simply on the status of what we can find in the fridge (there is always something that can be taco-i-fied in the fridge), these black bean and squash tacos are totally worth planning for! 

Black beans and squash are a match made in heaven, so when spiced to be paired together there isn't much that could possibly go wrong. The instructions for this recipe have you start with dry beans, and cook them with spices to ensure they're extra flavorful. That said, I understand completely that we don't always have the time to start from dry beans (or we don't plan that far ahead), so I've included an alternative note at the end with instructions for making these tacos with canned beans. Follow those instructions and you'll have dinner on the table in one hour flat with very little hands-on work! 

This recipe can be made totally vegan, vegetarian, or (as I prefer it) with some bacon grease depending on your diet and what you have on hand. As written, you'll have dinner for two, but the recipe can be doubled, tripled, or more if you want to serve more or have left overs. You can even just use one larger squash rather than lots of delicatas in that case! 

ingredients: 

1 cup dry black beans 

1 Tbsp Better than Bouillon (or other bullion cubes) 

1 big pinches dry rubbed sage 

1 bay leaf 

1 tsp whole cumin seeds 

1 delicata squash, cut to 1/2 inch cubes (you can peel the squash or leave the skin on. the more mature the squash, the tougher the skin is going to be when it comes out of the oven). 

1 Tbsp olive oil 

1 tsp paprika 

1/2 tsp ground chipotle 

1/4 tsp cayenne 

salt & pepper to taste 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

1/2 a medium onion, cut to a small dice 

1 Tbsp bacon grease or butter (or oil if you're vegan) 

fresh masa for homemade tortillas, or corn tortillas 

cilantro, lime, and grated cheese for garnish

instructions: 

• First, you'll want to soak your beans. You can cover them in cold water and let soak overnight or for at least 8 hours, or you can cover them with boiling water and let them soak about 1 hour. Either way, make sure to add about 1 tsp of salt to the water. 
• Strain and rinse soaked beans, then put in a medium pot along with bouillon, sage, bay leaf, cumin seeds, and some salt and pepper. Cover the beans and spices with water at least 2 inches above the beans then place over medium high heat. Give the bullion a stir using a fork to help break it up a bit. Once the water has come to a boil, turn down to a simmer and let cook for about an hour and a half, until the beans are very soft. Strain excess water and set aside until you're ready to cook the meal (this can be done days ahead of time!). 
• About an hour before you want to eat, toss the squash cubes with olive oil, paprika, chipotle, cayenne, and a little salt and pepper. Spread them on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, until the squash is soft and lightly browned on the edges. 
• Heat a medium pan over medium heat, adding bacon grease/butter/oil when the pan is hot. Sautee onions and garlic in the oil until they're translucent and starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Then add the cooked beans and 1/2 cup of water. Let simmer to reheat the beans, then use the back of a spoon to smash the beans to your desired consistency. I just like to smash some of them, but if you're into smooth refried beans you can even puree the beans to a smooth texture! 
• Now, we're ready to assemble! If you're making homemade tortillas, cook based on the package's instructions. If you're using store-bought tortillas, warm them up in the oven wrapped in foil or in the microwave wrapped in a towel. 
• Top each tortilla with a scoop of beans, some squash, cilantro, cheese, and a squeeze of lime juice! 

Canned Beans Alternative! 

Lets be honest... sometimes you just don't plan ahead to actually cook your own beans. I like to keep canned black beans and chickpeas on hand for those days when I'm craving beans but don't have any cooked or the time to cook them! Here's how to make delicious beans without cooking them yourself! 

Skip the bean cooking step, and just add 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, and 1 pinch of sage when the onions and garlic are cooked. Stir briefly until it starts to smell delicious (about 20 seconds), then add your canned beans and the water. Follow the rest of the instructions as is. Super easy and super fast! 

delicata squash "fries"

This is definitely the easiest recipe I've yet to share on this blog, but don't you be fooled into thinking that easy doesn't also mean delicious! I absolutely love making these crescent moon shaped squash "fries" in the fall. I can gobble up a whole squash worth in once sitting, dipping them generously in my classic homemade ketchup. They'll also rock your world atop a hearty kale salad! 

First of all, delicata squash are one of the cutest squash! I love how small and manageable they are, especially since some folks seem to find large squashes a bit intimidating. Not delicate delicatas though - you'll have no problem chopping these up! 

Squash fries come to us with just a few super simple steps. First, we cut the squash in half, scrape the seeds, then cut it into these sweet thin crescent shapes, and toss them with some oil! 

Sprinkle on some serious salt and pepper (or go nuts with cayenne, curry, or any other spices you're craving), then pop them in the oven! After 15 minutes or so, we'll lovingly flip them all over for maximum browning and return them to the oven. 

Then, voila! The masterful delicata fries in all their glory! So stop on by your local farmers market this weekend and pick yourself up a squash or five. You won't be sorry! 

ingredients:

1 delicata squash

1 Tbsp olive oil

Salt & Pepper

instructions: 

• Slice squash in half lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Place each half cut side down on your cutting board and slice into 1/8 inch thin half-circles. The most important piece of this recipe is cutting even slices of squash (even if they aren’t exactly 1/8 inch). This will prevent you from a pan that is half burned and half not-yet browned!
• In a medium bowl, toss squash pieces with oil, salt and pepper.
• Spread squash into an even layer on a baking sheet, giving them a little space! 
• Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes, flipping the slices halfway through the baking time. They’ll be soft on the inside and browned on the outside when finished.
• Enjoy!