Grain-Free Japchae
Don’t you just love 30 minute meals? I know I do! Especially this week, before heading out on vacation, I’ve got to put in 10 hour days at work. It’s going to be nuts! So my meals need to be quick and easy. And my meal prep game needs to be on point! This recipe for Grain-Free Japchae fulfills all the qualifications!
Have you ever heard of kelp noodles? They’re new to me but I was looking for a different grain-free pasta/noodle replacement and these were recommended by a friend. They’re Paleo friendly and were pretty easy to find at my local Asian store! You can also order them on Amazon or Thrive Market. I love Thrive Market. If you haven’t given them a shot yet, you must do so immediately! Specialty food products at 25-50% off store prices? Come on, does it get better than that? Check them out HERE at ThriveMarket.com. (Not sponsored, I just love them!)
Kelp Noodles
Japchae is a popular Korean dish that’s normally made with sweet potato starch noodles (you can absolutely replace kelp noodles with sweet potato if you’d prefer) and stir fried with some kind of meat and vegetables. I’m all about cleaning out my refrigerator this week so I used bell peppers, carrots, onion, and some frozen spinach in mine! It’s stir fried together with a sweeter soy sauce based sauce (I used coconut aminos) and viola! Dinner in less than 30 minutes! You could also separate this into two meals, like I ended up doing. Stir fry the veggies and meat separately to serve on top of rice later in the week and then mix in the noodles for Japchae. Two meals in one kitchen session! I honestly don’t think it gets better than that, do you?
Two meals in one!
Grain-Free Japchae will soon become one of your favorite meal-prep meals, I’m sure of it! It reheats beautifully and you can mix it up with really any vegetables you’d like! Try bean sprouts, zucchini, fresh spinach, or mushrooms. You can also mix up the meats in this. I used chicken thighs, because that’s what I had in the house, but sirloin, shrimp, or pork are great too. The world’s your oyster!
Grain Free Korean Japchae
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 4 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup baby carrots sliced
- 1 cup mixed bell peppers slivered
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 8 ounces kelp or sweet potato starch noodles
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp fish sauce I used Red Boat
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 cup frozen chopped spinach
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
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Fillet chicken breasts. Place in a 9x13 baking dish. Drizzle 2 tbsp olive oil over the top and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
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Bake chicken, uncovered, in oven for 20-30 minutes until cooked through. Remove from oven and dice into 1/4 inch pieces. Set aside
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While chicken is cooking, chop carrots, bell peppers, and onion.
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Heat a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp olive oil to pan.
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Stir fry carrots, onions, bell pepper, and garlic together 5-6 minutes or until carrots are tender. Add kelp noodles and diced chicken to pan. Stir to combine.
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Add in coconut aminos, fish sauce, and sesame oil. Toss to coat.
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Lastly, add in frozen spinach and heat. Sprinkle with additional salt and pepper, as desired.