Vegetable Chow Mein with Shrimp

I love pasta.

My kids love pasta.

I'm pretty sure the whole world loves pasta...

Problem is, my better half doesn't love it.

In fact, he very much DISlikes it.

It's never been his favorite thing.

Pasta, according to him, is 'a waste of carbs'.

Is that insane to anyone but me??

That is poppycock!

...Isn't that a funny word... poppycock.

That is a bunch of poppycock, I say!

I think I need to start using it more often.

poppycockpoppycockpoppycockpoppycock...

ok, I feel better now.

Since I am the head cook over here in my casa, I am able to work things that I love into our meals. I just have to spin it and disguise some ingredients, in this case it's the spaghetti, into something the whole family will enjoy.

And who doesn't want some Chinese take-out made at home, with no delivery charges or tip?!

(I mean, you CAN tip me by doing the dishes. Luckily, I get tipped, handsomely :) )

Can we just talk about the exhilarating experience that is eating spaghetti for a moment?

The whole; taking my fork, twirling my spaghetti around it until my fork looks like it's wearing a gorgeous little pashmina made of red, saucy noodles, taking that bite of warm and comforting deliciousness and slurping up the noodles into my mouth. And if the noodles happen to give me a lashing on my face on the way in, that's an extra added bonus.

Spaghetti is food you can FEEL from the inside out.

I love it.

Anyway, this is getting a little too deep for me.

I mean, we are talking about noodles, after all.

Who knew noodles were such serious business.

I made this Chow Mein dish, using whole wheat spaghetti, that was super simple using up all the vegetables in my fridge.

You can put whatever you want in it.

I used broccoli, shredded carrots, onions, garlic, and some other stuff.

I can't remember now.

But like I said, this isn't exact and you can use whatever veggies you love.

Edamame would be delicious in this...

bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, cauliflower, baby corn, water chestnuts...

the possibilities are endless.

I also put shrimp in mine for some protein.

I just sauteed the shrimp in the large skillet first (I didn't use my WOK because I was too lazy to pull it out from under all my other pots and pans, but you should if you have one) with some vegetable oil for about 3-5 minutes, until just cooked through.

Then I took out the shrimp and set it aside in a separate bowl.

Then I added a little more oil and started working in my vegetables.

Then I added my cooked spaghetti and added about 1/4 cup soy sauce and 1/4 cup veggie stock.

Please don't quote me on those measurements. I'm thinking in my head how many times I think I shook the soy sauce bottle, and I think that added up to about 1/4 cup.

Just add until it tastes good.

That's all I used for my sauce though, soy sauce and veggie stock.

You can use chicken stock or beef stock if you like, as well.

Add more or less liquid depending on your taste buds and how moist you want your chow mein,

but start with my super precise (sarcasm) measurements first and go from there.

Then let me know what the real measurements should be so I can update this recipe!

I had pot stickers that I bought at Trader Joe's and thought they would be a fun added treat.

I also zested a lime on top and squeezed some fresh lime at the very end which gave the dish a little zip and a zang!

Zip and zang.

Technical terms, those are.

P.S. If you don't like shrimp, you can use beef strips or chicken strips or tofu or cow's tongue or ostrich eggs.

It don't matter, just use what you like.

So get creative and get cooking!

Get your WOK on ;)