Recipe: Ramen On The Run

So, I really enjoy ramen. It’s a cheap, easy way to make a meal and when money’s thin…saving coin is a blessing. A couple days prior, I made some country style pork ribs in the slow cooker and wanted to try a new way to incorporate them into my meals. And thus the idea was met with great delight by my stomach.

I’ve been known to use leftover salmon, chicken, strip steak, and shrimp as well. Typically I make this with leftovers so I don’t get tired of the same recipes over and over. And I use a mix of frozen and fresh vegetables. Broccoli is good frozen, as is the mirepoix. And frozen vegetables are good for stocking up when needed.

Amounts of vegetables used are entirely dependent on what I want to eat at the time. Some days I like more spinach than mushrooms, sometimes I add tomatoes. Don’t think the vegetables listed are required. These are just common ones I use to provide a more complex bite of food. In the pork example, I used some frozen mirepoix because I ran out of tomatoes. Was amazingly tasty.

I also tend eat spicy foods. Bear that in mind. I never worry about presentation, to be honest. I just look to create good, healthy food.

RAMEN ON THE RUN

Salmon Ramen

Set the clock
Prep time: 6-8 minutes
Cook time: 12-15 minutes
Total time: ~25 minutes
Serving size: 2 meals for one person

Ingredients

• 2 shakes of soy sauce
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 package of flavored ramen noodles
• 1 packet from noodles, chicken in this case
• 2.5 cups vegetables (spinach, mushrooms, onions, jalapenos, bell pepper green onions, broccoli)
• 1 cup chopped leftover meat (pork, salmon, shrimp, beef steak, or chicken)
• Dash of each seasoning ( red pepper, white pepper, basil, oregano)

Instructions

1. Cut up all the veggies in during prep time. Add amounts dependent on personal taste.
2. Place butter in pan on medium heat and let melt. Add in vegetables and seasonings.
3. Stir vegetables until thoroughly cooked. Add in meat for 3-5 minutes, depending on the flavor preference.
4. Turn off eye, but keep pan in place.
5. While vegetables are simmering then cooling down, cover ramen in water and place in microwave. Follow instructions. Usually 3 minutes per packet.
6. When ramen is done, place noodles and about 1/4th cup of ramen water into pan. Swish the soy sauce.
7. Add in flavor packet. Turn heat back on low for 3 minutes, constantly stirring the noodles and veggies together. The broth adds the missing sodium in rest of meal.
8. Take off stove. Done. Let sit until cool enough to eat.

So this recipe is really simple but it really adds dimension for light meals. No, it’s not like eating a steak dinner in the middle of winter, but it still keeps you full without overly stuffed. And I make this recipe at least twice a week on my food stamp budget. The idea is to buy in bulk and keep a mixture of fresh/frozen veggies that can be combined into different flavors. This is also the only way I can eat ramen since flavor packet and noodles alone tends to make my stomach upset.