Singapore Noodles: Totally not from actual Singapore

Family Circle is an American institution. A very American institution. They've been delivering top-notch food publications since Hoover was in office. But to be fair, they've probably spent about as much time in the island nation of Singapore as Family Circus has.

So don't go into this little stir-fry recipe expecting authenticity, is all I'm saying.

However, if you go in with expectations of crunchy veggies and sweet, subtle curry noodles you're going to be delighted. One arena in which my old Family Circle cookbook has never failed me (okay, except this one time when I tried a recipe for some kind of red cabbage with apples, beets and raisins all boiled in vinegar but that was certainly an exception and I have to take part of the blame for being stupid enough to try it because it said 'cabbage' and 'raisins' and 'vinegar' right there in the ingredients) is colorful, healthful, veg-ful dinners that are almost too simple to make. This one, like so many FC recipes, is tasty and refreshing and takes only a few minutes to throw together. It even comes in at under 400 calories per serving... if you can stop at one serving.

I added some additional veggies and hot pepper for a little somethin', and I used lo mein instead of egg noodles, but the rest of the recipe came straight out of Family Circle.

Oh! You know what you should have with it? A light salad, with this perfect ginger dressing that I found a couple of years ago at the Frantic Home Cook. (I can't seem to find the dressing recipe on her site anymore, but good news! At some point, I wrote the ingredients on a post-it which I stuck to the Singapore Noodles cookbook page. See below.) The salad makes a wonderful cold complement to the noodles, and it couldn't be easier to throw together.

I mean, I guess it could, like if it was just lettuce out of a bag or something... with the dressing from the packet that comes inside the bag... so you just tear it open and make your whole salad with one hand while you watch TV... and then maybe you go ahead and just eat it out of the bag so you won't have any dishes to do... but that doesn't sound like you. Nah. You're gonna make the ginger dressing. I can tell. And I support you.

Singapore Noodles with Pork and Vegetables

• 8 oz lo mein noodles or medium-wide egg noodles
• 1 tsp Oriental sesame oil
• 3 tsp vegetable oil
• 8 oz trimmed lean boneless pork loin, sliced into thin strips
• 1 large onion, sliced into wedges
• 1 medium-size sweet red pepper, sliced thin
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced or grated
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1/2 lb sugar snap peas
• 1 pint shiitake mushrooms
• 3 small zucchini (about 5 oz each), sliced about 1/4" thick
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 large green onions, sliced (1/2 cup)

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil while you prepare all your vegetables. Cook the noodles according to the package directions. They can be in the pot whilst you're stir-frying the vegetables, as long as you remember to keep an eye on them so they won't get overcooked.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wok or big fat skillet. Add pork and stir-fry for a couple minutes, just until cooked through. Remove the pork with a slotted spoon and put it in a bowl for a while.
3. Add the remaining tablespoon oil to the pan. Add onion and red pepper; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add ginger, garlic and curry; stir-fry 1 minute. Add snap peas, mushrooms and zucchini; stir fry 1 minute. Remove from heat.
4. In a small bowl, mix together a little chicken broth, the cornstarch, and the soy sauce. Once the lumps are gone, add the rest of the chicken broth. Pour the mixture into the pan with the vegetables, and return the whole thing to medium heat. Stir constantly until the broth boils and remains boiling for one minute. Add cooked, drained noodles, pork and green onion. Heat to serving temperature and serve immediately.

Soy-Ginger Salad

• 1/4 cup light mayo
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• Spinach, rinsed and trimmed
• Radishes, cucumbers, and carrots, sliced thin
• Snapea Crisps or crunchy chow mein noodles

1. Mix the first six ingredients (mayo through ginger) in a little bowl. Whisk until smooth. If it's thicker than you like it, add a little more vinegar. 
2. Toss the salad ingredients together, pour dressing over the top, and serve.

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Sneaky eggplant jambalaya

Lately, the threat of crippling sniffles has kept me mostly indoors. That trapped feeling has helped me finally remember to pack a lunch before work. I've even started thinking about weekday lunches when I'm preparing dinner! (Like when I got some extra wonton soup, pictured, from the Chinese delivery place over the weekend. What? Ordering counts as preparing.)

Jambalaya makes tons of leftovers and reheats really beautifully, shrimp and all. Since I've been on sort of a superfood kick lately, I decided to make up a version that sneaks in a bunch of good-for-you things.

Like eggplant.

Hear me out.

You'd never know there's eggplant in it. It lends a little extra richness to the overall flavor, but then it disappears like a spectre into the shadows, leaving behind only a high-mineral-high-fiber memory. That's right! You're getting healthy off memories here!

I snuck some quinoa in, too, which looks pretty and makes you feel good about how much protein you're getting. If you don't have any on hand, skip it, no harm done. But if you do, throw it in. What else you got? Cranberries? Go for it, they're catabolic! What, no yogurt?

Just kidding. Ha, ha! Please don't put cranberries in your jambalaya. Also yogurt. Maybe just... follow the recipe.

Sneaky Eggplant Jambalaya

• 1 lb hot turkey Italian sausage, cut into chunks
• 1 lb shrimp, peeled, shells and tails reserved
• 1 large eggplant
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 4 cups rice
• 3/4 cup raw quinoa, rinsed
• Cayenne pepper to taste
• Olive oil
• Water
• Chicken stock (optional)

1. In a medium pot, boil shrimp shells and tails in 4 cups water, along with a couple of tablespoons each of your diced onion and diced celery, the bay leaf, and the cloves. Reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for about 45 minutes, then strain into a bowl and discard the solids. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, peel the eggplant and cut it into 1" cubes. Set aside (it may oxidize and brown, but that's all right).
3. In a big, shallow pot or deep pan, heat about a tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat and add sausage. Brown sausage, remove to a bowl, and set aside.
4. Quickly add onions, peppers, celery, and garlic to the hot pan and cook until vegetables begin to stick to the pan, stirring frequently to prevent the garlic from browning. Toss in eggplant and saute for 5–10 minutes. Pour 2 cups of the shrimp stock over vegetables and allow to reduce by half.
5. Stir in rice and quinoa. Season with cayenne pepper (add additional seasonings, such as garlic powder, as desired).
6. Put the cooked sausage and the raw shrimp into the pot.
7. Add the remaining 2 cups of fish stock and any additional water (or, if you rather, chicken stock) needed to completely cover the rice. Return to boiling, then reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for 25–35 minutes or until rice is tender. Check periodically to make sure there's still some liquid in there; if there isn't, add more, 1/4 cup at a time, to ensure correct cooking.
8. Serve hot. The eggplant will have become very soft, so if you wish to eradicate the eggplant evidence, some extra stirring should take care of that. When storing leftovers, allow jambalaya to cool to room temperature before placing in an airtight container in the fridge.

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