Chow Mein

One of our favorite "fast food" places to eat at is Panda Express. They actually have some rather healthy options for an eating out restaurant. They definitely have a lot of dishes that are very high in fat, carbs, and sodium, but you can often get a rather balanced meal if you try. I always opt for their mixed steamed veggies and string bean chicken. Every now and then we love to share the chow mein. It's probably not super healthy but sharing one dish makes us feel better about it. I decided to try a copycat recipe from there and it turned out that it tasted almost exactly like Panda Express, which was a big hit for my husband.

We had the chow mein with some bourbon chicken (this recipe was posted last year on my blog). We also had a fortune cookie to top off the meal.

Chow Mein
Serves: 2 large portions or 4 smaller portions
Adapted by: http://www.food.com/recipe/panda-express-chow-mein-234225

Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch thick pieces
1 1/2 cups shredded cabbage
1/3 cup diced celery
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water
red pepper flakes, to taste
1/2 pound vermicelli, cooked


Directions
-In a large nonstick skillet or wok, heat oil until hot and add the scallions, cabbage, celery and bean sprouts for about 3 minutes or until cabbage is wilted.
-Add the sugar, broth, soy sauce and sesame oil and add to the mixture. Simmer on low for 3 minutes, making sure the skillet is covered.
-Stir the cornstarch mixture with water and add to the vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil and let it thicken.
-Season mixture with red pepper flakes and add cooked vermicelli noodles.
-toss together and serve

Enjoy! :)