Peanut Sesame Noodles

Although we don't have a little one going back to school I certainly feel like transition is in the air. I am not even going to mention it is Labor Day weekend.  I have said it before and I will say it again. I am so ready for Fall.  That doesn't mean though that I can comprehend where summer went.  Time is flying by.  

We have both been busy traveling for work, finishing up the many started but not complete house projects and entertaining the little one.  Miss O has been soaking up the sun at the play ground and at the beach.  We have a little water baby for sure.  All of these activities mean we look at the clock around 4:30 and think what to have for dinner.  We have a pretty strict schedule with dinner around 5:15 for Miss O.  It is always a race to get food on the table before she freaks out about being hungry. 

I have been craving Thai food lately and do to a mix up at the store I have about 3 different boxes of rice noodles sitting in our pantry. This is my version of pad thai. Or simple peanut noodles.  We had them hot the first time around and then cold for lunch the next day. Both tasted marvelous. 

This time around we had leftover chicken that was a quick add at the end.  You could omit and have a nice vegetarian version as well. The sauce comes together super quick and is really tasty.  We happened to have all of the ingredients on hand - a bit unique but not if you are used to other Asian dishes.  All in all it took about 20 minutes from start to finish. Not bad for a quick meal.

We have tried other peanut sauce noodle dishes before and none have been this delicious.  Due to past failures my husband was a bit skeptical when I said what was for dinner but he was pleasantly surprised by how good it came out. 

Sesame and Peanut Noodles

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Keywords: saute chicken pasta peanut butter

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Ingredients (serves 8)

• 12 ounces rice noodles

For the Peanut Dressing:

• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• Zest and juice of 1/2 lime

For the Salad:

• 1/2 cup loosely-packed chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1/2 head green cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup carrots, julienned
• 1 cup cooked chicken, sliced
• 1/3 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped skinless roasted peanuts, for garnish

Instructions

Cook the pasta until al dente. Do not overcook. Drain, reserving some of the starchy pasta water, rinse and set aside.

For the peanut dressing: Place the peanut butter in a large measuring cup and microwave to soften, 15 seconds. Whisk in with the soy sauce, vinegar, canola oil, ginger, honey, Sriracha, sesame oil and lime zest and juice in a small bowl. Thin with the starchy pasta water if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time. (Dressing should be thick, but pourable.)

For the salad: Place the pasta in a large mixing bowl and add the cilantro, chicken and vegetables and toss with the dressing. Top with the chopped peanuts, green onions and toasted sesame seeds if desired and serve.

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