Crunchy Asian Noodle Salad, with Peanut Sauce

Our household container from Germany has finally arrived and is being delivered and unloaded at our new house today! Just imagine the chaos... What I wouldn't give for a quick easy dinner tonight. Alas, I refuse to cook on days like this, so we'll be getting take-out or pizza or something from one of our new neighborhood joints. The below dish would certainly hit the spot though!

This was the first recipe I tried from my sister's cooking blog. She's got some great recipes posted, but I'm a sucker for peanut butter and 'fast/easy dinners'. Add some tofu, and I'm over the moon about the dish!

And this dish is delish... (say that 5 times fast - wa, ha, ha)


Very similar sauce to the Soba Noodle recipe, but I suppose there are only so many variations to a peanut sauce. Plus, when a recipe does it well, why mess with it? And this is a good sauce! Other than a few ingredients for the sauce, you probably have most items in your pantry. I love that it uses spaghetti noodles.

As promised by my rascal of a sister, it was fast and easy. And very flexible... I completely changed up the veggies, to use what I had on hand.

With an almost 6 month old bambino, who just started rolling (yay!), this quick and tasty meal will be a regular staple around our house (just as soon as I unpack the pots and pans). Thanks for the great recipe sista!

Note: Half the recipe will make enough for 3-4 people. We got our dinners and lunch the next day out of it.

Steam some gyoza/pot stickers as a side dish. Or maybe serve edamame (one of my favs).

Crunchy Asian Noodle Salad, with Peanut Sauce
from my sister, Christine

1/2 lb. thin spaghetti
1 lb. sugar snap peas
2 red bell peppers - thinly sliced
4 scallions - sliced dragonfly
3 tbsp. chopping parsley

(I halved this recipe and used: 2/3 box of spaghetti, 2 handfuls of green beans, 1 red pepper, 2 scallions, and 1 package of extra firm tofu)

Dressing:
1 cup veggie oil
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
3 tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds
1/2 cup peanut butter

Cook pasta, drain and set aside.

Boil a large pot of water, add the snap peas, return to boil for 3-5 minutes. Drain and put in ice water. (I simply cut and sauted my veggies in a tablespoon of vegetable oil until crisp-tender, along with the tofu so it would brown up a bit)

Whisk vegetable oil, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame seeds, and peanut butter together.

Combine spaghetti and veggies. Pour dressing, add parsley (I did not use), and mix. (Don't forget to sprinkle a few sesame seeds on top for a pretty presentation!)

More! More! More! Peanut Sauce! Peanut Sauce! Peanut Sauce!:
- Satay Peanut Sauce, from Rasa Malaysia
- Roasted Asparagus with Creamy Tahini-Peanut Dipping Sauce, from Kayln's Kitchen
- Vietnamese Shrimp Pops with Peanut Sauce, from Al Dente

Guten appetit!