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This reduced carbs vegan Chow Mein is a veggie packed alternative that uses spiralised vegetables along with noodles to make you feel healthy and full for longer.

A few days ago I realized that I haven't yet posted on this blog a recipe for one of my most loved Chinese noodle dish: Chow Mein.

For those that are unfamiliar with the dish, Chow Mein is probably the most popular Chinese stir-fried noodle dish, and it's enriched with vegetables and - sometimes - meat or tofu.

And because the web is already packed with gorgeous traditional recipes of this fantastic dish, I decided to share what I often make at home when I want to avoid eating too many carbs for lunch.

This is when a spiralizer or a veggie sharpener come very handy: in fact, by adding some spaghetti vegetables to our traditional noodle dishes we can bulk up the vitamins and fiber intake while reducing the overall carbohydrates. This hack will still make and keep us full while keeping the calorie count low: pretty cool, isn't it?!

Which Vegetables to use in Chow Mein

When I make vegetable noodles at home I normally spriralise courgettes and carrots, because a) I'm rarely out of both, b) they add lovely colour as well as interesting nutrients to the preparation.

But these two veggies are not at all mandatory. You can in fact pick your favourite or what you have at hand between the followings:
- Root vegetables (the most appropriate for the tool), like parsnip, radishes or beets
- Marrows
- Squash
- Pumpkin
- or even some firm fruits like Apples

Once our veggie spaghetti are ready, we can chop a handful of other vegetables for the stir fry, according to seasonality and availability, like:
- Bean Sprouts
- Onions
- Bell Peppers
- Mushrooms
- Cabbage/Pak Choi
- Broccoli
- Bamboo Shoots
- Baby Corn
- Green Beans
- Snow Peas/Mangetout
- Runner Beans
- Asparagus

What Protein to use (optional)

Finally, if you want to pack more proteins into the dish you can also add some vegetable sources like:
- Seitan strips
- Tofu
- Tempeh
- Soy TVP
- Legumes
- Vegetable Mince or any Mock Meat Substitute

Which Noodles to Use

I have to point out that unfortunately the traditional noodles for Chow Mein are not suitable for vegans as they contain eggs.

I personally find that instant, ramen or wholemeal noodles are those that are usually vegan and give the closest result to the original version.

If you are gluten free you can opt for soy, rice, konjac or glass noodles. In this case you would also need to swap the soy sauce for a gluten free version like tamari.

As you can see the possibilities are literally endless. I'm giving you the basic, hundreds times tested, recipe that you can personalize and tweak according to your own taste or what you fancy the most.

I find that this, along with Italian Minestrone, is one of those recipes that allow you to get rid of all those spare vegetables lying around the fridge.

It's also perfect for meal prep, as it can be stored in the fridge for a few days (up to 5 in air tight containers) and it is suitable for home freezing.

So let's see now how it all easily comes together.

Reduced Carbs Vegan Chow Mein Recipe

Ingredients:
1 Pack Instant Noodles* (80/100g from dry)
1 Carrot
1 Courgette
½ Bell Pepper
½ Onion
2 Spring Onions
2 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
...for the sauce...
2 tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon Tomato Ketchup
1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
½ tablespoon Spicy Mushroom Sauce (or chilli sauce; optional)

Method:
1. Prepare the veggies: finely chop the garlic cloves; julienne the pepper and the onion; chop the spring onions and separate the white from the green parts; spiralize the courgette and the carrot.
2. In a bowl mix all the ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.
3. Place the noodles in a large glass bowl, then pour over boiling hot water. Soak until soft, then run under cold water and set aside.
4. In a large wok or pan heat the vegetable oil with the minced garlic until it becomes fragrant (30 seconds).
5. Add the onions and stir fry for a few moments until it becomes translucent, then add the peppers, sauté for 30 seconds to one minute, and finally pour in the remaining vegetables plus the white portion of spring onion. Stir fry on high heat for a couple of minutes to keep the veggies crunchy, or for longer if you prefer them softer.
6. Stir in the sauce mixture and heat it all together few seconds.

7. Add the noodles and stir fry for another 2 minutes, tossing continuously until everything is nicely mixed.
8. Sprinkle the noodles with the green part of spring onions and some sesame seeds and serve straight away.