Light Soba Noodle Stir Fry

It was a busy weekend: I finally celebrated St. Patrick's Day and I have a big exam this week...aka I have no time.

While I would be perfectly okay eating grilled cheese, kale chips and leftover cookies from the party every day until life settles down, nutritional balance and acting like an adult gets in the way. So I decided upon a light stir fry - quick, easy, filling and nutritionally balanced.


I love adding noodles to my stir fry, but all noodles are not created equal! Soba noodles are not only quick to make, they're also made of buckwheat (soba is actually the Japanese name for buckwheat), so they have more fiber and nutrition than other noodles!

To keep this dish light, I also made my own sauce - lower sodium, healthy sugars and no preservatives! Added bonus: it only takes 1 minute to whip up. And since this recipe makes 5 servings, I have leftovers to get my through the next few days.

Okay, back to studying...and maybe a few leftover cookies {I can't be a responsible adult all the time}!

Light Soba Noodle Stir Fry

Yield: 5 servings | Prep time: 20 minutes | Total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 bell peppers, sliced

• 5 cups bok choy, chopped into 1-inch pieces

• 16 oz. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes

• 8 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced

• 8 oz. soba noodles

• 2 Tbsp. garlic, minced

• Salt and pepper to taste

• For the sauce:

• 1/2 cup chicken broth

• 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce

• 1 Tbsp. garlic

• 2 tsp. ginger

• 2 tsp. light Agave nectar

• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Heat a pot of water. Once boiling, add soba noodles and cook according to package. Once cooked, strain noodles and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together all the ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.
3. Heat wok over medium heat. Once hot, add a small amount of oil (enough to coat the pan). Add chicken, salt and pepper and cook until chicken is browned and fully cooked - about 6 minutes. once cooked, remove chicken to a plate.
4. Add a bit more oil and cook garlic until fragrant but not browned - about 1 minute. Add shiitake mushroom and pepper, cooking for 3 minutes. Add bok choy and cook until wilted - another 2 minutes.
5. Add cooked chicken and soba noodles to wok. Add about 2/3 of the sauce and stir to evenly distribute the sauce. Let everything simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add remaining sauce and serve.

Nutritional information per serving (about 2 cups):
Calories: 435
Total fat: 10 grams
Carbohydrates: 52 grams
Fiber: 3.5 grams
Protein: 37 grams
Weight Watchers points: 11