Stir-fry dishes are one of the easiest meals you can make--whether you're short on time, lazy and tired to cook, or don't know how to cook, you can't really go wrong. Unless you're the type of person who 'burns' water (to the point of evaporation) just trying to boil it, then I can't help you there.

I decided on this dish to use up ingredients I had in my fridge that I didn't want to go bad. So the simple solution was to make a kelp noodle and vegetable stir fry.

What Are Kelp Noodles?

Kelp noodles look similar to rice noodles used in Asian dishes as seen here and here, although I've actually had them with pesto instead of pasta at Cafe Gratitude. Kelp noodles are a form of brown seaweed. They've grown increasingly popular in recent years because they're much healthier alternatives to regular noodles and pasta. They're low in carbs and calories, fat-free, mineral-rich and free of allergens. I like the Sea Tangle brand, which you can get at health food stores or on Amazon. 

The ingredients in kelp noodles are kelp, sodium alginate (a sodium salt of alginic acid), and water. Sodium alginate, while it may sound foreign, is a binding agent found in many dairy products like ice cream, yogurt and cheese, as well as in soy sauce to enhance flavor.

Kelp noodles are crunchy when they're uncooked, so they're great in cold noodle salads. Or you can cook them to soften them up, but they still tend to have a bit of a crunch (some people are turned off by that).

Ingredients:

• 1 pack of tofu, cubed
• Trader Joe's Soyaki
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp sesame seed
• 1 organic zucchini, diced
• 1 pack of organic mushrooms, sliced
• 1 bag of kelp noodles (I like Sea Tangle brand), rinsed and cut in half so noodles aren't so long
• Coconut oil for cooking

Instructions:

Put about 2 tbsp of coconut oil in a wok or large pan over medium heat. Once it's hot enough, add garlic and stir around for a couple minutes. Next, add the tofu and drizzle 2 tbsp of Soyaki. Stiry-fry for about 3 minutes over medium-high heat. Put it in a bowl and set aside.

Add another couple tbsp of coconut oil to the wok, and just when it starts to smoke, add the zucchini and mushrooms. Stir-fry for about 3 minutes over medium-high heat. 

Add the rinsed and cut kelp noodles to the mix, and start adding Soyaki (up to about 1/4 cup). This is the part where you have taste it to make sure the flavors and crunch of the noodles are to your liking. Since the noodles don't absorb the sauce as easily, it's good to drizzle a little bit at a time and taste it to see if you prefer more. Stir-fry for about 5-7 minutes or until you're satisfied with the texture of the kelp noodles. Add the tofu back in about 2 minutes before the noodles are cooked, just to reheat them.

Generously sprinkle sesame seeds over the stir fry. They're a nutrient-rich source of B-complex vitamins, minerals including copper, calcium and iron, as well as protein! Serve and enjoy!