Spicy Rice Noodles

By Aurora Ibarra

My go-to meal during the week tends to be some kind of stir fry. They are super easy, fast, and the perfect way to clean out your fridge and use up all your leftover vegetables. What makes this stir fry even better are the light rice noodles. I love the richness of a big bowl of rice noodles, especially since they don’t leave you with the feeling that you’ve eaten half a rhinoceros when you stand up from the table at the end of your meal — they are rich in flavor and light on the digestive system.

While this version is vegetarian, feel free to add some grilled chicken or beef. It’s a real treat for any day of the week!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 red serrano chile, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 can of water chestnuts, drained and rinsed
• 14 -ounce can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 6 sticks of baby corn
• 14 ounce can of diced tomato
• 1 tablespoon Tamari or low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon Szechuan sauce
• 8 ounces rice noodles
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, add the onion, garlic, and red chile and cook until slightly browned. Add the bell pepper and carrots and cook for 5 minutes, stirring. Add the water chestnuts, beans, baby corn, diced tomato, tamari,and coriander and mix thoroughly.
2. Cook until the vegetables are tender. Season with the Szechuan sauce, salt, and pepper.
3. Cook the noodles according to package instructions.
4. Stir in the cilantro into the vegetables and stir to mix. Place the noodles into a bowl and top with vegetables and extra cilantro on top.