Make Ramen (relatively) Healthy!

Ramen noodle soup is a delicious staple for poor college students (and those feeling nostalgic), but have you looked at the nutrition facts lately? Ramen usually contains such delightful ingredients as MSG, oodles of salt, fat, empty carbs, and not a vitiman in sight.

But it's so delicious you say? (I have one word for you, Scurvy).

So here's how to make your ramen (relatively) healthy while simultaneously not bankrupting yourself.

This meal has the advantage of being fast, dirt cheap, vegetarian and reasonably nutritionally sound.

You will need:
-One package of Ramen noodles (either standard or organic varieties will do).
If you are a vegetarian the "Oriental" flavor of ramen sometimes contains no animal ingredients, it depends on the brand (Oriental Ramen is not vegan but the Thai Kitchen brand in the picture usually is!).
-About a rounded 1/2 cup of a variety of frozen vegetables.
Some I have used in the past include: chopped spinach, green beans, peas, chopped carrots, corn, edamame. If you have fresh veggies on hand, those work even better.
-Soy sauce and/or miso
-an egg

Optional
-Garnish: sliced garlic, green onion, cilantro, pepper, hot sauce

Boil yourself 2 cups of water to cook the noodles.

I probably don't need to say this, but you never know: open your package and find the little seasoning package and pull it out *before* you dump the noodles in. Seems self evident, but fishing a melting seasoning packet out of boiling water is not fun. So look before you dump.

Here's the unconventional part:

Once your noodles are a little over halfway cooked, (still al-dente) dump the cooking water out and drain the noodles. Put another 2 cups of water on the stove.

(Hey you just discarded a lot of gross starch and a fair amount of fat!)

Put your noodles back into the second batch of water.

Add your veggies (frozen or not) now, and let them cook a bit while you work on the egg.

Take an egg and break it into a bowl, scramble it well.

Once your soup has returned to a full boil, slowly pour the egg into the soup in a slow stream. Move the stream around the pan to get little ribbons of egg that cook quickly in the boiling water.

Add some flavoring from the packet (not too much, yuck) , or make your own with some soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, vegetable bouillion, etc. etc.

Now you have a good source of protein and some vegetables in your ramen ( you probably feel healthy already).

Pour your delicious ramen noodles into a bowl! Since you only used a bit of the flavoring packet, your noodles might need a little something. Add some miso paste, tamari sauce, chili sauce, sesame oil, green onions, or other healthy flavoring.

Now eat them!