I had such a blast with JSL Foods and Fortune Noodles recently, being chosen to enter and join their Asian-Fusian Stir Fry and Cold Salad Noodle Recipe Challenge for Bloggers, that I was craving yet another recipe with those incredibly delicious noodles that they sent me! To quickly recap, bloggers across the country were invited to create a recipe using their Udon or Yakisoba Noodles. We each got to choose to make either a stir fry recipe or a cold noodle salad! I chose to make a cold noodle salad, but went against the norm and chose the Hot & Spicy Yakisoba Stir Fry Noodles, as I thought that they, too, would make a great salad!  😉 I LOVE anything hot and spicy, and thought that I could introduce another way to use that particular product other than just stir frying. The company was generous in sending each blogger 3 bags of their all-natural noodles per the blogger’s choosing, and since it’s just the hubs and I, we received plenty enough to make 3 different recipes for us!

*If you’d like to see my main recipe and entry, please click {here}! I’d very much appreciate it! (It’s an Asian-Fusian Stuffed Burger Bowl with an International Noodle Salad on top that you won’t believe!!!) It was truly quite an incredible masterpiece, and my hubby has been BEGGING me to make it again!!

So to hold him off, I wanted to create another Asian-fusian dish he couldn’t resist! And that I did! 😉

I went “Asian ~ Mexican ~ Tex-Mex ~ Cowboy-Style” this time, and WOWza!! Another winner and new fave was born! “The Asian Cowboy” Spicy Grilled Yakisoba Noodle Salad with Carne Asada and Chipotle Crema was soon to be a SMASH hit!

And just in time for my very first, and start of a massive harvest, of my homegrown cubanelle peppers! This is the first one from my garden, and there are TONS to follow right behind! They’re sweet, and not hot, and have thinner meat which makes them perfect for salads and quick stir frys! You can eat them while still green, but we enjoy them best when they’ve turned their blazing, crimson red color! Here’s what they look like:

As I did last time, I took advantage of my other veggies from my garden, my prized grape tomatoes….

(NO color enhancing was done! And these are the medium and small ones.
We save the big ones for snacking, one after the other, like candy!!)

♥

….along with some of summer’s other gifts from nature’s garden including red onion, and a simple can of baby corn ears. (I just love those little guys!) And yes, “baby corns” are real corn that is picked when just starting to grow. You can eat the whole thing and they’re absolutely wonderful for so many things! Plus, they remind me of home. I grew up surrounded by cornfields back in the midwest, and me ‘n corn are BFF’s!! How could I leave out a childhood friend?? 😉 And these cute little ears have the nicest, sweetest crunch that leaves frozen and canned corn behind on the ol’ dusty trail.

I tossed them all with a little salad oil and a few spices to add a bit of cowboy heat! Really turned out nicely!

And they all got tossed onto the smokin’ hot grill to “grill fry” until crisp-tender with a touch of charring! OH, yea. 😉 This veggie roundup is lookin’ GOOD.

By this time, it was spooky dark and just starting to rain, but, at least there was no thunder or lightning yet! 😉

So, “HeeYAWWW!!!” And “giddy up”, and all that other “cowboy lingo”, and let’s finish up quickly before it becomes a gully washer!!

I nuked the noodles in the microwave, according to the directions (which in mine only takes 3 minutes!), using a 1/4 cup water along with the seasoning packet, fresh garlic, a little chili powder and cumin, and then finished them up with a quick, lightly sweet and spicy, vinaigrette with fresh-squeezed orange juice to take this down a slightly different covered wagon trail to take on a little rustic, Central American, cowboy flavor! You can slap a plate on it and pop this into the fridge to chill, or you can just let it sit out, covered, at room temperature if you’d like. (It was good both ways, but again, my hubby and I were on opposite sides of the split-rail fence. I liked mine room temp, and he liked his icebox-cold!) So you just serve it how you enjoy it best. 😉

And BOY did the flavors blend together like they had just been waiting
to be corralled into the same pasture!

The storms were rolling in now! Sorry so dark!
(I kept forgetting to readjust my camera! I was rushing, the heat index was 114ºF,
and I was feeling a li’l loopy by that time…)

Then, I simply tossed the grilled veggies into the noodles….

…along with sliced black olives, and rinsed and drained red kidney beans. Wait to add the avocado last, though. 😉

Next, was to prep a few final touches. A quickie homemade chipotle crema, homegrown snipped green onion, crumbled Mexican cheese, and grated garden-fresh radish was my garnish of choice!

Lastly, before the skies opened up and all hell broke loose, I tossed my marinated flank steak onto a screaming hot grill and seared both sides quickly, keeping it beautifully medium-rare to rare inside. This is *EXACTLY* what you want for flank steak. If cooked further, it can come out tough as a cowboy’s boot. Not good. Unless he happens to need a new sole.

Once off the grill, let it rest at least 5 minutes. Even 10 is fine, it will stay hot, but you want all those bubbling juices inside to settle down and not bust out of the gate like an angry bull when you go to slice it.

It was early in the day, but the storms were fast approaching and I didn’t have much light. So, I hope that you can see ok, what it should look like inside. Hold your knife at a severe angle when slicing AGAINST the grain using a long, very sharp knife, and slice very thin, wide slices for maximum tenderness! SO very good!!!

*I did the first slices a bit thicker per my “suburban cowboy’s” request,
but I prefer them much thinner.
Do one slice, and check for tenderness, and then slice to preference.

Grilling in the rain and storms was quite – uhm – interesting, but I didn’t let it interfere with my fun. If you’re faced with not so nice weather, you can always stir-fry the veggies or even oven roast them, and grill the flank steak on a heavy, cast iron grill pan over high heat right on the stovetop. Good cooks always find a way no matter what, right? 😀 😉 So, if you have any lightning or thunder, I don’t recommend that you grill outside. It really isn’t safe.

It was so hot and humid out, that my lens kept steaming up!!!

Ok, so, all you do now is just fold in some diced avocado and assemble! Divide your completed noodle salad onto serving plates or bowls using salad forks and spoons leaving no goodies behind, fan your grilled carne asada across one side, and top with lots of fun garnishes!

This dinner was absolutely phenomenal! The flavors had a very distinct southwestern flair without being overpowering, and a perfect balance of heat. It was BRIMFUL with healthy, garden-fresh vegetables and protein-loaded “cowboy beans”, the noodles could not have been more fun!, and the tender, flavorful, and juicy carne asada and finishing touches left my hubby speechless! I had to ask several times if everything was ok! Once his eyes rolled back to the front of his head, and he emerged from his dreamlike euphoric state, he was able to muster a whole wagon train of “yummy sounds”. No words. He just smiled. 🙂

Life was good. G’night li’l doggies. 😉 Maybe we’ll see some stars out tonight. 🙂

~ Ω ~

Thank you very much to JSL Foods and Fortune Noodles for thinking of me and inviting me to try your product! We have truly enjoyed these extremely easy to make, very flavorful, and all-natural noodles so much, that they have quickly become a huge favorite to use!!

You, too, can find them easily at one of your local stores such as Stop ‘n Shop, Giant, Price Rite and Shop Rite stores! And if you don’t see them, just ask your grocer to please get some in for you! You’re really going to enjoy these! WORLDS better than “college days Ramen“, and no boiling and draining!! They’re all-natural, and they have lots of different flavors to choose from, too! (I can’t wait to try more!!)

I hope that you all have enjoyed this post, that I’ve given you some new and creative ways to have fun with stir fry noodles, and that you take full advantage of the last days of summer before they’re gone! Enjoy!!

Be sure to follow JSL Foods/Fortune on Facebook and Twitter so that you don’t miss a single recipe!

Yield: 6 servings

The Asian Cowboy Grilled Yakisoba Noodle Salad with Carne Asada & Chipotle Crema

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Ingredients

For Carne Asada:

• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 Tbl. Key Lime Juice, I use Nellie & Joe's, *can sub fresh lime juice (regular or Key Lime)
• 2 Tbl. rice vinegar
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 Tbl. sugar
• 1 tsp. kosher salt, 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 dried red chile pepper, thinly snipped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, can sub fresh parsley ( or 2 1/2 Tbl. dried), optional
• 1 (2 lb.) flank steak

For Yakisoba Noodle Salad:

• 1 (7.7 oz. pkg.) Fortune Hot & Spicy Yakisoba Stir Fry Noodles plus seasoning packet & 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp. dried chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. dried cumin powder
• 1 Tbl. fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1 Tbl. rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup salad oil such as canola
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 1/2 Tbl. finely chopped fresh cilantro or fresh parsley, or 1/2 tsp. dried
• 1/16 - 1/8 tsp. each regular salt and coarse ground black pepper, to taste

Grilled Salad Veggies:

• 8 baby/mini corn ears, drained and sliced into fourths
• 1 large sweet red cubanelle pepper, sliced (rings cleaned of seeds and white membrane if needed)
• 1 cup halved grape tomatoes, approx. 16, (*measure after slicing - slice lengthwise)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion, (halved or quartered into smaller pieces)
• 2 Tbl. canola oil mixed with 1/8 tsp. each: chili powder and cumin
• 1/2 tsp. each: kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup each: sliced black olives and red kidney beans (rinsed and drain beans)
• 1 small avocado, diced (*add very last before serving)

Garnish to Taste With:

• pickled whole or sliced peppers (peperoncini or jalapeño), grated fresh radish, snipped green onion, crumbled Mexican cheese (such as queso blanco or fresco, or chihuahua), and Chipotle Crema

Chipotle Crema Drizzle:

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 Tbl. milk
• 1 tsp. chipotle in adobo sauce, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp. regular table salt

Instructions

To Marinate Beef:

Place large ziploc baggie into a large mixing bowl. Open baggie and add all Carne Asada ingredients except beef. Squeeze bottom of bag to mix up. Place flank steak into bag and close tightly, removing the air from the bag. Remove bag from bowl, squish around to coat, and place into fridge to marinate for at least 3 - 4 hours, but overnight is best. Turn bag several times while marinating to make sure every surface marinates in the ingredients well. (If you're worried the bag might leak, place into a baking pan to prevent any spills).

For Noodle Salad:

In large mixing bowl, add 1/4 cup water, noodle seasoning packet, chili powder, and cumin. Whisk to mix. Place noodles on top, turn over to coat, place a damp paper towel over bowl to cover, and microwave on High for about 3 minutes according to package directions.

Remove and gently stir. Add orange juice, vinegar, oil and rest of salad ingredients. Gently stir again. Cover and chill.

For Grilled Veggies and Rest of Salad:

In small bowl, whisk oil, spices, salt & pepper. In medium bowl, add baby corns, grape tomatoes, red onion and drizzle with oil mixture. Toss lightly to mix. Place onto perforated grill pan and grill over high heat, stir-frying until crisp tender and small charring. Remove to a baking sheet, and add to noodle salad along with olives and beans. Fold gently to mix. Season with a little salt and pepper if needed. Place onto a nice large serving platter.

To Grill Carne Asada:

Preheat grill to high. When very hot, (test by holding your hand over the grill and you should not be able to keep it there more than just a second!), oil grates with an oil-soaked paper towel with tongs and place flank steak onto grill. It should vigorously sizzle upon contact. Grill for about 5 -6 minutes is all. Turn and grill second side the same. Remove to a cutting board to rest for about 5 minutes to let juices settle down.

With very sharp, long slicing knife, slice steak against the grain holding the knife at an angle to cut on the bias making nice thin, wide slices.

To Serve: Lastly, fold fresh-diced avocado into noodles, and divide noodle salad onto plates getting all of the goodies, place slices of seared rare steak on top of each, garnish tops as desired, and drizzle with Chipotle Crema* (*stirred together in small bowl until well mixed and creamy). Serve with warm, rolled, flour or white corn tortillas if desired.

Notes

*You can certainly use a skirt steak for this if preferred. It isn't as lean, and has fat marbling through it, so you can cook it longer than Rare (115 - 120º F). I really would not take it past Medium (still pink inside), though. Internal temp for Medium should be no higher than about 130 - 135º F (*before resting).
**Can served with warmed, rolled, white corn or flour tortillas and refried beans.

*Disclaimer: I was not paid for this post, but did receive free noodles. All comments and opinions about this product are solely my own.