Aromatic Noodles with Lime-Peanut Sauce
6:38 AM
Finding a great recipe is tough, especially when you have as many requirements as I do for a weeknight meal. Its got to be fast, nutritious, budget-friendly and of course, tasty. This recipe by Ellie Krieger definitely hits each one of those requirements.
I haven't historically been a huge fan of Ellie - I think that her recipes (particularly on her cooking show - "Healthy Appetite") can be too controlled. She measures everything to the point that makes it feel like, well, health food. I know that for things to be healthy, I need to measure out my oil and salt, and this is very important. But picking up recipes that remind me of that all the time kind of take the fun out of cooking. I think great cooking has a balance between recipes and measuring, and also a certain impromptu gusto in the kitchen.
However, while at the library I picked up Ellie's "The Food You Crave" cookbook and it has been pretty awesome. The recipes are things I actually want to eat, done in simple and healthy ways that allow me to cook well during the week.
I highly recommend checking it out (perhaps from your local library) and even more highly recommend trying this recipe. The peanut sauce is incredible.
AROMATIC NOODLES WITH LIME-PEANUT SAUCE RECIPE
(Ellie Krieger, "The Food You Crave")
2 cups (about 9 ounces) broccoli florets
2 cups (about 6 ounces) snow peas, trimmed
2 cups (about 6 ounces) sugar snap peas, trimmed
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 scallion, cut into pieces
3/4 inch fresh ginger, finely grated (I used powdered dry ginger and it worked great as well)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup shelled unsalted peanuts
Cook the pasta in a large pot of water according to the directions on the package. Drain and rinse with cold water. While the pasta is cooking put the broccoli in a steamer basket over a large pot of boiling water and steam it for 3 minutes. Add the snow peas and sugar snap peas and steam for 2 minutes more.
Toast the peanuts in a dry pan over a medium heat until they become fragrant, about 3 minutes. Set them aside to cool. Make the sauce by pureeing the peanut butter, soy sauce, water, vinegar, lime juice, scallion, ginger, sugar and red pepper flakes in a food processor or blender until smooth.
Right before serving, toss the pasta with 3/4 cup of the peanut sauce. Divide into 6 serving bowls and top each serving with the vegetables. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the vegetables. Coarsely chop the peanuts, sprinkle them on top and serve.
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