Sesame Peanut Noodles

My blogging friend Julie at Herding Grasshoppers asked about this recipe. Julie, this is one of those fast ones. Great for one of those weeks where you have a million soccer practices ;o).

3/4 lb thin spaghetti ( I use whole grain spaghetti)
2 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
1/3 cup roasted salted peanuts

Peanut Sauce and Assembly

1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp natural smooth peanut butter
2 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp molasses
1 Tbsp fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley or coriander
1 medium carrot peeled and grated
lemon wedges

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until just tender. Drain and toss with the sesame oil in a large shallow bowl. Set aside. Put the peanuts in the bowl of a food processor and shop them finely. Set aside.

Make the sauce. Combine peanut butter, tamari, vinegar, honey, molasses, ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes in the bowl of a food processor. Pulsing the machine, process the sauce to a smooth texture, gradually adding up to 3 or 4 Tablespoons of water; the finished sauce should have the approximate consistency of thin yogurt.

Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss to coat well. This is easier said than done because the sauce tend to clump rather than spread evenly. Just take your time and use your hands if necessary. Toss in the parsley or coriander and grated carrot. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (I never do this because we want to eat now).

Just before serving, toss the pasta with the finely chopped peanuts. Pass the lemon wedges separately; anyone who likes can squeeze some juice on their pasta at the table.

**I am bad for changing my recipes to suit my whims (partly because I am a lazy cook :oS). I don't chop the peanuts. We serve the grated carrots on the side. I process the parsley or coriander right into the sauce because I use it from frozen.

I will also switch ingredients to a similar item I have on hand. Eg. No rice vinegar? Use apple cider vinegar. No sesame oil? Use good olive oil. I guess they should be called olive peanut noodles then, but really, that just doesn't sound as appealing.

*** This recipe comes from the book, Feeding the Healthy Vegetarian Family by Ken Haedrich. We've used many of the recipes out of his book with good success. Tasty and not too ridiculously time consuming.

Bon Âpetit!