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.

Ashby Inn and Beet Lasagna



The view from our room



This past weekend, Scott and I had a little romantic weekend away at the Ashby Inn and Restaurant in Paris, VA.  We have wanted to go there ever since we attended Cochon 555 last a spring, an event that celebrates heritage pork and great chefs.  Chef Tarver King made some of the best things we had at Cochon, but with the restaurant being an hour and a half away, and knowing we would want to do the tasting menu with wine pairings, we knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to go for just the evening, so we decided to stay for a whole weekend and get away from the stress of everyday life.

We headed out Friday afternoon, and checked into the Ashy Inn.  We were staying in the School house, in the Lafayette room.  It was a beautifully appointed room, with a view of the hills and a wood-burning fireplace.  We headed out to the Hunter’s Head for dinner that evening, which is related to Ayrshire Farm.  Ayrshire Farm supplies heritage meat and eggs to many stores and restaurants in the Virginia, DC and Maryland Area, and the owner is a great supporter of Alley Cat Rescue.

A healthy, well balance lunch

On Saturday, I arranged for Scott and I have to a hot stone couples massage, which was a blissful experience.  After we stopped in to the Farmstore, also related to Ayrshire farm, and each had a maple glazed bacon covered donut, which I consider a very well balanced lunch.  Not sure if anyone else would agree.  We then walked around Middleburg, a beautiful town full of antique shops and interesting boutiques, and stopped by Chrysalis Vineyards for a wine tasting. 

That evening was our dinner at Ashby.  It was very nice to be staying two doors down, so no one had to drive to dinner.  Dinner was wonderful, and everything I had hoped for.  Well thought out, well executed dishes with a splash of fun, like when we cooked our own slices of beef on a rock heated up to 400 degrees, or the “hot and cold cider” accompanied by dry ice that had water poured over it which led to fog rolling over the table.

The first dish of the evening, a beet puree with goat cheese, is what inspired the beet lasagna I then made for dinner on Sunday evening when we got home. 

Beet & Goat Cheese Lasagna

Makes 6 servings

2 pounds beets

16 ounces goat cheese

15 ounces ricotta (get the best kind you can)

½ cup milk

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

½ onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Fresh Lasagna sheets

Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

Boil beets for 45 minutes until soft, then peel (skins should slip right off).  Process in the food processor with about half of the goat cheese and the milk, some salt and pepper until smooth.

In the meantime, sauté the onion and mushrooms until brown, then add the garlic.  Continue to cook for one or two minutes until fragrant.

Take the ricotta mixture and the rest of the goat cheese and microwave for about a minute, then mix together with some salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a square baking dish, coat the bottom with olive oil, then put one layer of lasagna noodles.  I don’t bother to pre-cook the fresh lasagna noodles from Whole Foods, the moisture in the filling will cook them as they bake.

Take half of the beet mixture, and layer that over the first layer of noodles.  Put another layer of noodles, then half the ricotta/goat cheese mixture and spread over that layer.  Spread the mushroom/onion mixture over the ricotta/goat cheese mixture, then top with another layer of noodles.  Layer the rest of the beet mixture on top, then another layer of noodles.  Finish with the rest of the ricotta/goat cheese mixture, then shred some Parmesan on top.  Bake for about 30 minutes, then switch oven to broil and broil until the top is browned.  Let rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.