Peanut-Ginger Napa Cabbage Noodle-Stirfry

The title is quite the mouthful, and you will be loving this easy dish by the mouthful as well. :)

Another gluten-free dairy-free dinner on it's way.... I happen to love Thai food and feel like I could probably eat it every day and be happy the rest of my life. This stir-fry was inspired by the large and lovely napa cabbage that I received today from a local organic farm. I love cabbage. I never used to be a big fan, and always felt like I never knew what to do with it, but now I feel like my body craves it and can't wait to try new things with it. Napa cabbage is great for stir-frys and salads with a bit of a Thai or Asian seasonings. Cabbage is high in A and C vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber. The phytonutrients in cabbage help balance your immune system, and not to mention fight against bad levels of estrogen and convert them into usable energy in the body. So why not eat more cabbage?!

Some of the ingredients I used in this dish are not homemade so I linked all the ingredients to their website so you know what to look for at your local grocery store. The ingredients are not hard to find, and are nice to have as condiments for gluten-free cooking. This dinner is so easy and so yummy, I know you will make it again and again with other vegetables. I almost didn't post the recipe because the picture that I tried to take of it didn't really capture the dish as I wanted it too, but I just couldn't resist from putting it up because it tastes so good and is a great lunch leftover. It has been a hot summer week this week in Michigan and I made a few huge meals in one night so that I could have some leftovers all week. My kitchen can get hot really fast, and so I have been trying to find ways to make supper time easier in the heat. And after you try this meal you will be asking me, " Why such a spicy meal for such a hot summer day?" and I will only be able to tell you that, "I'm crazy, that's why!" I like to add 2-3 peppers because enjoy spicy food, but if you want it to be spicy-free use 1/2 to 1 small pepper. This is a great kid-friendly meal and they may even enjoy helping in the cooking process!

In a large wok or frying pan add to on medium heat:

1/3 cup of creamy natural peanut butter

1/4 cup of sesame oil or light frying oil

1/4 cup of San-J wheat-free low-sodium tamari sauce

1/4 cup of gluten-free San-J spicy Thai peanut sauce

2 cups of chopped matchstick carrots

2 inch piece of grated ginger (or 1 TB of dried powdered ginger)

1 small chopped Thai red pepper or cayenne pepper (add 2 or 3 for more spice)

2 cups of chopped napa cabbage

some sea salt to taste

In another pot, boil water:
Add 8-12 oz of medium width white rice noodles (Pad Thai style) to a pot of boiling water, let sit in the pot of water for not more than 6 minutes and turn off the heat. Let sit in the water until the noodles are chewy and then dump the water from the pot and then dump the drained noodles in with the rest of the stir-fry ingredients in the wok.

Add all the ingredients at the same time except the cabbage, and stir until the carrots are covered with the sauces. Cook for only a few minutes and make sure your noodles have been boiled by now, then add the noodles and the cabbage to the rest of the ingredients and stir until the dish is all warmed and mixed together. I like the carrots a bit crunchy, but if you wanted them to be more cooked, then cook for a few minutes longer before adding the noodles. The noodles are a bit fragile, so make sure to keep them a bit on the hard side when draining them from the boiling water so that they are not too cooked and gummy when you are cooking them with the rest of the stirfry. If you need a little more liquid in your sauce add a little more tamari or peanut oil to get some movement in the wok. Cook no more than 10 minutes and it is ready to eat.

Chop up some fresh cilantro and fresh cabbage for topping and flavor. Add some chopped peanuts to enjoy more flavor and crunch (optional). Serve and enjoy! This dish will serve up to 8 servings.