Recipe: Peanut-Sesame Noodles

Doggies on the beach... pure bliss!

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately.  I spent the last week of April on Cape Cod, my favorite place in the world, and it has just been hard getting back into the swing of things. We had a great time, took the dogs, Bear and Otis, to the beach at least once a day, and sometimes twice.  We ate wonderful food, including lots of lobster.  I like to try to spend some time on the Cape before or after the main tourist season.  Everything is so calm and relaxing.  Next time I will be there will be in August, the week before labor day, for my brother’s wedding, and it will be crazy busy and packed with people!

However, this blog post is not about that. I made a new recipe last night that turned out really well and wanted to share it with everyone.

                I think I may have mentioned my love of Chinese food before.  If not, well, I really love Chinese food. Everything about it appeals to me, from the crunchy coating on the General Tso’s chicken when it is fried to the silky eggs in egg drop soup.  However, take out Chinese has become a rare indulgence while trying to eat healthy.  This means I need to get my flavor fix in a lighter way.  

                When I was growing up, we didn’t really eat a lot of Chinese food.  One very rare occasions, usually when my mom and I had a craving, we would get take out from the “fancy” Chinese restaurant that was close to our house.  We HAD to have the cold sesame noodles.  I’m sure their version is incredibly unhealthy, since it was clearly made with a lot of peanut butter and sesame oil.  I have tried several lighter versions, and most are pretty meh.  But I had picked up a Cooking Light special magazine (5 Ingredient & 15 Minute Recipes) that had a recipe that looked good.  Scott marinated some ribs in an Asian marinade, and then smoked them on the Big Green Egg.  The ribs were really good, very tender and a little salty, and the cool noodles balanced them out nicely.   While I don’t think any home-made sesame noodles will ever be quite as good as those found in restaurants, these were definitely some of the better ones  I have made.

Peanut-Sesame Noodles
4 servings
8 WW points per serving

1/2 pound noodles (I used some labeled "Chinese noodles" but you can use soba, angel hair or whatever you feel like)
1/2 cup julienned cucumber
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup sliced green onions
2 teaspoons sesame seeds

For the sauce
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 teaspoons sesame oil
4 teaspoons rice vinegar
crushed red pepper to taste

Whisk all the ingredients for the sauce together. Cook the noodles according to the package directions, then run them under cold water.  While the noodles are cooking, put together the vegetables. In a large bowl, toss the sauce with the vegetables and cool noodles.  Serve at room temperature.