Mmm... tastes like Take-out!

I know, I know, it's been a really long time since I've posted here.  The good news is, it's not because I've forgotten how to cook.  It's because I've been working on a cookbook project with a good friend, and I've saved all my recipe ideas for our cooking sessions!  I'm sharing this one today because it's super quick and easy to make, and sometimes you just need the taste of take-out.

Hubby and I used to really love getting take-out from this one Thai place near our home, before we went vegan.  We're pretty sure everything on their menu is made with fish sauce, so now we're steering clear and opting to cook up our own Thai dishes.  Don't get me wrong; the dishes we come up with at home are great - they just don't have that same restaurant taste. 

For the longest time, I couldn't figure out what restaurants do to make their Asian food taste so delicious.  And then it hit me:  lots of garlic!  Think about it - when you come home from a restaurant after having gorged yourself on some Asian noodle bowl, what is it that you keep tasting for the rest of the day, and even the following morning?  It's garlic!
I'm not saying garlic is the key to Asian cooking - just saying it makes everything taste more "restauranty", if you're having that craving but don't want to shell out $50 for one meal. 

Ok truthfully, my garlic theory came to me while I was using my new Pampered Chef Garlic Press.  This thing is really amazing for saving me time and sticky hands while prepping my garlic, and now I love to add garlic to everything!  What an epiphany.

So without further ado, here's my Tastes Like Take-out noodle bowl:

Ingredients:

2 cups mixed sliced veggies (ex) red bell pepper, cauliflower, broccoli, snow peas, carrots, celery)
6oz vermicelli noodles
2 Tbsp Bragg's or other soy sauce
2 Tbsp sweet Asian chili sauce
1 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed!

Method:

Saute your veggies in a little oil.  If you like sesame flavor, use a drop of sesame oil along with your regular oil.  I love grapeseed oil for quick sauteing.

Boil about 4 cups of water in your kettle.  Place vermicelli noodles in a bowl and pour boiling water over them.  Let them sit for a few minutes, stirring occasionally to break up noodles, until noodles are soft.  Drain and set aside.

Prep your sauce.  Combin the Bragg's and all remaining ingredients in a small bowl, whisking well.  Adjust flavors to your taste, adding more chili sauce or lime juice if needed.  Or more garlic if you're into that kind of thing.

When veggies are nicely browned and starting to soften (though not fully cooked), add noodles and sauce to the pan.  Stir together quickly so sauce doesn't burn to the bottom of the pan, but sticks to the noodles.

Serve in bowls with chopsticks, garnished with peanuts, cilantro, and/or green onion slices, and sprinkled with sesame seeds, and prepare to crush your take-out craving.  Works everytime!