I’m not one to get caught up in too many fad diets or trends, but boy do I ever love zoodles! Since my second Misfit Market delivery was en route, I had two zucchinis in my crisper begging me to cook them and sooner rather than later. Usually, I throw zucchini on the grill, as a simple side for beer can chicken or ribs, but wasn’t in the mood to fire up coals for just two zucchinis. Plus, I just had a strong craving for a very veggie forward meal. We both absolutely loved, loved, loved this dish and it is definitely going on my regular menu rotation. I’m actually starting to crave another bowl of this Zoodle Lo Mein as I’m typing this! There were no leftovers, unfortunately, but hey, my compliments to the chef (me ha!) because it really was that damn delicious! As always, sub out any veggies you have at home to work with for this stir fry, crank up some festive music, and let the whole family in on the zoodling fun!

Ingredients

2 cups zucchini Zoodles, raw

1 green bell pepper, trimmed and thinly sliced

1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced

3 stalks celery, thinly cut on the bais

2 cups Shiitake mushrooms, lightly washed and thinly sliced

2″ piece ginger root, skin removed, minced

1/8 tsp chili flake, optional

1/8 cup light soy sauce

1/8 cup Hoisin

1 tsp Fish sauce, optional

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp 5 spice powder

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

black pepper to taste

Optional Garnishes: sliced green scallions, black sesame seeds, sliced chili

Method

In a small mixing bowl, combine the soy sauce, Hoisin, rice wine vinegar, and fish sauce, if using. Taste and adjust as desired. Set aside.

Divide the raw zoodles into nice sized bowls. Set aside.

Heat a wok over high flame, and then add the toasted sesame oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add in the celery and ginger root, saute about 2 – 3 minutes until just tender. Add in next the onion, bell pepper, black pepper, and 5 spice powder. Saute about one minute longer. Next, stir in the Shiitake mushrooms and saute one additional minute. Add in last the sauce and stir until the veggies are well coated. Continue to cook until the sauce is slightly reduced, about 1 – 2 minutes longer.

Divide the stir fry over the raw zoodles and toss until well combined. Garnish with scallions, sesame seeds, and sliced chili, if desired. Serve immediately.

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Note: most of the Lo Mein recipes I researched called for Oyster sauce, but since I didn’t have any on hand, I used a combination of Hoisin + Fish sauce as a substitute. Oyster and fish sauce are not vegan, as they are made with well, oysters and fish. So, completely omit these ingredients, if you have any dietary restrictions or seafood/shellfish allergies.