Spicy Sesame & Peanut Noodles

This is a scrumptious and speedy dish that only takes as long as the noodles to cook! A spicy and sweet creamy peanut butter and fragrant sesame blender sauce is tossed with chewy spaghetti noodles and fresh, parboiled broccoli rabe for a comforting meal. I hope this will be a new staple in your home, as it is in ours!

There's a bit of green in this dish. A wee accent counts right? Once again I have failed to jump aboard the holiday-food-party bandwagon. What the heck; you'd think a food blogger would be all over that stuff! Green errrything, but nope. Alas, my festive side fails to show up the party. Apparently it's as hermit-like as my real self! I guess that makes sense. Do you get in the celebratory spirit on St. Patrick's Day by making green food? When I was a kid my mom made green eggs. It made me uneasy. I don't like food to look as it shouldn't; even the green rice krispie treats put me off. 

I am currently drinking matcha as a write this, in a green cup nonetheless... and that should certainly count for something. I got green inside me. I think I'll tell people that when they try to pinch me for wearing all black. It should go over real well. 

Honestly... I just forgot it was St. Patty's Day... but this super green photo of broccoli rabe below should put you in the spirit! #mustgetmyshittogetherforremainingholidays

“My philosophy is: It’s none of my business what people say of me and think of me. I am what I am and I do what I do. I expect nothing and accept everything. And it makes life so much easier.”

— Anthony Hopkins

Spicy Sesame & Peanut Noodles

By Kathleen Henry @ Produce On Parade

Published 03/17/2016

This is a scrumptious and speedy dish that only takes as long as the noodles to cook! A spicy and sweet creamy peanut butter and fragrant sesame blender sauce is tossed with chewy spaghetti noodles and fresh, parboiled broccoli rabe for a comforting meal. I hope this will be a new staple in your home, as it is in ours!

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried spaghetti noodles
• 1 bunch of fresh broccoli rabe, florets and stems chopped
• ¼ cup white sesame seeds + more for garnish
• ¼ cup sesame oil
• ¼ cup + 2 tbsp soy sauce
• ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp vegan granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp sliced fresh ginger
• 2 heaping tbsp creamy peanut butter
• 4 large garlic cloves, rough chopped
• 1 ½ tbsp fresh garlic chili paste, to taste
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 4 fresh green onions, sliced

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat for the pasta. Cook according to the package, about 9 minutes, until al dente. When there’s about 3 minutes left for the noodles to cook, add the chopped broccoli rabe to parboil. Strain the noodles and broccoli rabe; return to the pot and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a small frying pan toast the sesame seeds over medium-low heat for about 5-8 minutes until slightly golden brown and fragrant, stirring frequently (taking care not to burn). Place in blender once finished.
3. Add the remaining ingredients in the blender along with the sesame seeds, excluding the green onions. Blend on high until super smooth. Stir into the cooked pasta and broccoli rabe until well combined along with the green onions. Serve warm. These noodles are also great chilled!

Yield: 6

I got real worked up about the fact that the USA is the only first world country with no mandated paid maternity/paternity leave. I even wrote my employer's HR department to champion a paid maternity leave program. They were like yeah... no. Hey, if you don't take action you can't really blame anyone but yourself for not trying to change things for the better. Take action and let congress know that it's a pretty messed up situation. Check out the infographic below for more information. 

Curried Noodles

Chewy rice noodles coated in a zesty curry sauce paired with savory minced broccoli and mushrooms, with a little spicy Thai kick!

The days grow longer up here in The Last Frontier and I relish in the evening light. Somedays, if it's sunny out, I don't even have to use the artificial lamp! Now that, is a wonderful thing. Natural light is so easy. It's moody and authentic and it's beauty always surprises me. It permisses my creative spirit to shine. Moods lift and souls sing. Is there nothing a little ray sunshine can't do?

However, with summer on my heels, like a glass of spilled milk...worry slowly slinks and seeps into every nook of my brain, pooling heavily in each chamber of my heart. It creeps along until it's completely encompassing and before I knew what hit me I'm utterly freaking out about summer's imminent arrival.

I'm usually not so candid...but it's been a stressful and overwhelming time over here. Not in a bad way though. In a very good way, in fact. Terribly delicious and happy things have been in the works for Todd and I, and they all culminate this summer. A dream home on a dream piece of property, for one. We are just beginning to clear the land now! And something else...more secretive.  Life changing, both of these things. Both pressing on me to rush, rush, rush, but my decisions and efforts must be top notch, but still, please... the deadlines, get ahead while I can and make it easier on my future self! I don't do well under pressure. I can't. I need time to digest things and research the best way to do this and the most rational method for that. It's a nuisance at best and incredibly taxing at worst, but it's a part of me that I wouldn't wish away. 

So, crushed under the weight of all these menacing and bullying whispers, what do I decide to do? Take a vacation. Yep, it's probably the worst timing I could have chosen but I'm telling that little voice inside my head that panics, "Katie! What are you doing? You don't have time for this! You can't go to Kauai! This is a mistake. Oh dear, you'll regret this later. I told you so." to talk to the hand. I'm only able to justify this trip as quasi-necessary because I'm going for a radiology conference (work is paying for a portion of the trip)...and well, my sanity is at stake.

For now, I'll leave the dramatics at the door and lend you this recipe for my curried noodles. A soul soothing dish for even the most frazzled of stressed-out worrywarts.  When in doubt, eat your feelings. Oh wait, no...don't do that...

“May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.”

— Nelson Mandela

Curried Noodles

Chewy rice noodles coated in a zesty curry sauce paired with savory minced broccoli and mushrooms, with a little spicy Thai kick! Serves 4-6.

Ingredients

• 6 oz pad thai rice noodle sticks, dry
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 large yellow onion, rough chopped
• ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp red curry paste
• 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 6 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large head of broccoli, florets only
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp vegan sugar
• ½ tbsp lime zest
• ½ tbsp lemon zest
• 1 lime, juiced (2 tbsp)
• ½ lemon, juiced (2 tbsp)
• 4 green onions, cut on the diagonal
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Cooking Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil for the noodles. Once boiling, remove from heat and add the noodles. Allow to soak for about 20-30 minutes, until tender. Once ready, drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside until ready to use.
2. Heat the coconut oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium. Add the onion to a food processor and process until finely chopped. Transfer to the skillet and sauté for about 10 minutes, until soft. Add the crushed red pepper and garlic. Sauté about 5 more minutes.
3. Now, add the curry powder through and including the tomato paste. Stir well to incorporate. Add the sliced mushrooms to the skillet and sauté until browned and shrunken, about 5-10 minutes.
4. Pulse the broccoli in the food processor until finely chopped and transfer it to the skillet. Stir well. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture, and stir to combine. Add the broth and soy sauce. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then reduce to a simmer. Stir occasionally while cooking for about 15 minutes, until the broccoli is tender.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the citrus zest and juices. Add the tender noodles to the skillet and stir well to combine. Top with the green onions and cilantro.
6. Serve hot.

So we are going to Kauai in a few days! Any tips and/or food suggestions, beach recommendations, etc.?

Dutch Word of The Day

Farming --> landbouw (land-bow*) *like as in "take a bow"

Information for The Day

"You don’t have to be a vegan to be repulsed by an account in The Times revealing the moral depths to which the federal government — working as a handmaiden to industrial agriculture — has sunk in pursuit of cheaper meat and fatter corporate profits." Our government hard at work. Vote with your fork and be informed. A quick article from the New York Times, "Farming Science, Without the Conscience."

Maple Peanut Soba Salad with Edamame & Apples

This is what's born when vegans have no vegetables in the house. Creativity! The great produce purge of 2014 was a purposeful one of course. But we got back from vacation over a week ago. The only reason we even had these apples was because Todd's mother lovingly packed up six honeycrisps which he gently toted all the way back to Alaska from Ohio in his carry-on. The edamame are those frozen packs from Costco, I always have them on hand.

Soba and peanut butter are a natural combination and apples and peanut butter go together beautifully. Edamame goes with soba and voila! 

“I don’t feel superior because I am vegan. The truth is I am vegan because I don’t feel superior to others.”

— Michele McCowan

A quick and simple peanut butter soba noodle salad studded with vibrant edamame and crisp apples. Sweetened with maple syrup, with an Asian flare. 

Maple Peanut Soba Salad with Edamame & Apples

Recipe by Katie @ Produce On Parade

A quick and simple peanut butter soba noodle salad studded with vibrant edamame and crisp apples. Sweetened with maple syrup, with an Asian flare.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter
• 2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 cup water (adjust according to desired thickness)
• 9 oz. package of soba noodles, dry
• 9 oz. frozen package of edamame, shelled or 1/2 cup soybeans
• 1 medium apple (I like Honeycrisp), julienned
• dash sesame seeds (for garnish)

Cooking Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil for the noodles.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together the peanut butter through and including the water. Add additional water as needed for it to have the consistency of an alfredo sauce. Taste and add additional soy sauce and/or syrup to your preference.
3. Microwave the frozen edamame according to package and when cool enough, shell and place in large bowl. Discard the pods, or feed them to your dog like I do.
4. Core and julienne the apple. Add to the soybeans.
5. Cook the soba noodles according to package, usually they only require 4 minutes to boil. Drain and add to the apples and soybeans. Pour the sauce over the noodles and mix very well to combine.
6. Serve warm and topped with a dash of sesame seeds.

Dutch Word of The Day

Kind --> aardig (are-digch)

Good Deed of The Day

November is World Vegan Month! Here, from the Huffington Post, is "A Countdown to Kindness: A Reminder for Each Day of World Vegan Month." You'll definitely want to read it!