Spicy Peanut Noodles with Broccoli

Peanut---Peanut butter, and NOODLES!

Finding staple dinners is one of my larger missions with this blog. I love when I have hours to dot around in the kitchen, but most of the time I have a short window to cook in, and I want to find recipes that I can whip up and taste great. Of course being healthy makes them even better!

Asian cooking has heaps of vegetarian recipes, and I have just started exploring the flavors of this type of cooking. I would love to get the rough basics of Asian, Indian and Thai cooking, but of course it takes the time.

This dish is a play on peanut sauce, which I believe is Thai, but Im not sure. Regardless, its ridiculously tasty, and this dish will definitly be something I make come back to. Its also great to make for a big group, the ingredients are cheap and it whips up quick.

As I mentioned in my last blog, I have been reading "Simple Vegetarian Pleasures" by Jeanne Lemlin and this recipe is straight from that book. She said this dish was a staple in her house, because it was so easy and quick, and after trying it I know why. My addition was broccoli, because I wanted to make sure I had a good green vegetable. Carrots, shallots, garlic, corn, zucchini could all be great additions, the sauce is very versatile.

Clearly I LOVED the flavors in this dish. I would like to play around with them a bit more, next time I might try more peanut butter and less sesame oil, or perhaps add some rice vinegar, but this is a great base to work with. A bit more oily because of the sesame oil, and not as thick as a sauce with a large peanut butter base.

Another benefit to this dish is how long it takes to make. Thirty minutes total, and that includes your prep work. Good for those who want a quick meal or have tiny hungry children to fed. Hope yall enjoy!

Spicy Peanut Noodles with Broccoli

Brown and green look so lovely together

The Goods: Serves 3-4

1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/3 cup Braggs liquid Amino Acids or Tamari soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup oriental sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
6 scallions, thinly sliced
2 cups of broccoli, chopped
1 pound of spaghetti

The Deal: 
1. Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil.

2. Meanwhile whisk together the peanut butter and soy sauce in a small saucepan. Stir in all of the remaining ingredients-- except the the reserved scallions, broccoli and the spaghetti-- until smooth. Put low heat under the pot and warm the sauce, stirring occasionally.

This guy is saucy!

3. Drop the spaghetti into the boiling water and cook until al dente. Don't overcook the pasta; it should be chewy.

4. Once the pasta is cooking, steam your broccoli. Once pasta and broccoli are ready, drain pasta in colander and return to pot. Pour on the peanut sauce and broccoli and toss. Grabs some bowls and garnish with remaining scallions.