Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garnet Yams and Stir Fry with Noodles

I actually have been cooking since Thanksgiving.  :::smile:::  Not much, mind you, but I've been cooking.  I've been making easy food, like brown and wild rice with steamed veggies.  I made Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garnet Yams tonight.  I had them with a All-American Incrediburger that I had made before and frozen. OK, I'll admit it. I ate many of the roasted veggies before I remembered to snap a picture.    

Never did I think that the veggie I hated as a kid would become my favorite veggie du jour!  These were incredibly easy to make.  I tossed the veggies in a little olive oil, put them in the pan, and then sprinkled them with salt and pepper.  I roasted them at 400º for about 40 minutes or so.  VOILA!  A perfect veggie dish.  

The other dish that I made last Thursday was a simple stir-fry with noodles.  Actually, I used whole wheat linguine for the noodles.  I had purchased an oriental stir-fry veggie blend from Trader Joes that I had to use up.  I sauteed the veggies with 2 minced garlic cloves in 2 tablespoons of canola oil.  Then, I added 3 tablespoons of hoisin sauce and 2 tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce.

Once the veggies were done (still tender crisp), I added the linguine and tossed it well.  It was OK, but I need more spice and flavor so I'll continue to work on that and develop that dish.  On a side note, I read on someone's blog about a great hot sauce.  The blog said the sauce was not too hot and was great on all Thai or oriental dishes. The hot sauce is Sriracha Sauce.  I'm sure many of you are familiar with it.   

So, when I was eating the rest of my stir-fry noodles, I thought I'd add some of this sauce to the dish to spice them up a bit.  Do you think I had the presence of mind to try a little to see how hot I thought it was?  HECK NO!  I just applied it very liberally (thinking it's not that hot) and stirred it into the noodles.  OK, that first bite hit my taste buds and BAM!  My tongue was on F-I-R-E!!!!!  My lips were burning.  I love hot foods, but this sauce is stinging hot and while I will use it going forward, it will be with a MUCH lighter touch.  :::chuckle:::  So, if you read a blog and the person says the sauce is not that hot, make sure you test it on your taste buds before just applying it willy nilly like I did.  :)