Sometimes I just want to take a bowl of noodles to the face. I don’t want vegetables, I don’t want protein, I just want pasta and sauce. In a different lifetime I’m sure I could attribute this craving to my rigid exercise schedule and resulting Olympian caloric intake. For now I’ll just say eating a large amount of the same food feels good. Paleo-dieters and their cavemen ancestors scream in terror at the thought, but it is sometimes necessary to carbo-load for an average day.
This peanut noodles recipe is great is because you probably already have the key ingredients on hand: pasta, peanut butter, soy sauce, and something spicy. It’s extremely easy to make and the measurements don’t have to be precise. I use my Nutri Ninja to blend the sauce, another reason to feel less guilty about that purchase, but you can also use a food processor. Improvisation is of course encouraged, so add more of what you like and leave out what you don’t.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces of noodles
- 1/4 cup of peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
- Juice of half a lime
- A few shakes of tabasco
- 2/3 cup of water
- Chopped peanuts
- Cilantro for garnish
First, get your noodles cooking.
Despite my previous slander against gluten-free food items, these rice noodles are tasty. They’re a nice change of pace from your average flour-based pasta. Be warned, you must do everything in your power not to overcook them. The first time I cooked rice noodles they stayed in the water just a minute too long and then turn into mush.
While your pasta cooks, prepare the sauce. Here is everything that will go into the Nutri Ninja.
I’m not a big proponent of measuring in general but it’s completely unnecessary for this sauce. Just make sure the peanut butter has prime billing and the spice-level is too your liking. I add enough water to approximately double the sauce’s volume, but if it gets too thin you can thicken it in the next step.
Once your sauce and noodles are ready, mix them together in a saute pan over low heat.
Once everything was mixed together, I plated the entire pan. I made it presentable by garnishing my peanut noodles with cilantro, chopped peanuts, and a lime slice.
To be honest, I didn’t actually sit down and eat all of these peanut noodles at once. I brought them to the office to eat for multiple lunches like a responsible adult. But to be even more honest, I’m writing this at work while eating my thirteenth Potbelly mini oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. Never let social norms stop you from eating everything in sight.
Enjoy!
