Thai Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Last week, my Dad found a recipe for peanut noodles online and they were amazing. I love Chinese and Thai food, but it’s always so hard to make it at home and still have it taste good. The recipe he found was easy and delicious.

 

I wanted to make them for my boyfriend, Nick, because a while ago Nick was eating peanut noodles from a box that you buy at the store and just add water (Ramen-noodle-like). This made me cringe. The ingredient list was so long and it was so processed. I told him that I’d make him these noodles and hopefully he could forget about the processed boxed kind. Sure enough, he said “I’d eat these every day”, and that they possibly trump my baked ziti!

 

Thai Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce

You will need:

• 12 oz linguine
• 4 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 cups of broccoli, chopped
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 1 cup of sugar snap peas, cut in half
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 3 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. rice vinegar
• 1/2 Tbsp. chili-garlic sauce

 

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pot. Add 2 Tbsp. sesame oil and toss, set aside.

 

Chop your veggies! There is something therapeutic about chopping vegetables.

 

 

Heat 2 Tbsp. of sesame oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli, carrots, snap peas, bell pepper and garlic. Sauté until soft, about 4 minutes.

 

 

Add honey, peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar and chili-garlic sauce and mix well.

 

 

Simmer sauce for 2 minutes.

 

 

Pour sauce over pasta and toss to coat.

 

 

I served the noodles with a side of Chicken Satay—this is a traditional Indonesian and Thai dish of seasoned, skewered and grilled meat, served with a sauce. Except Nick doesn’t have a functional grill, or skewers. So we improvised and sautéed them in a pan in some sesame oil. It still turned out amazing.

 

Chicken Satay

 

You will need:

• 2 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 lime juice
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. curry powder
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp. chili-garlic sauce
• 6 chicken tenderloin strips
• 2 Tbsp. sesame oil

 

In a mixing bowl, combine peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, curry powder, garlic and chili-garlic sauce. Place chicken in the marinade and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

 

 

Heat sesame oil in a stir fry pan. Cook chicken through until flaky.

 

I can’t believe I got Nick to try curry. He is a pretty picky eater, but I’ve gotten him to try A LOT of foods in the three years we’ve been dating. He’s definitely not as picky as when we first started dating. He said curry was okay, but he wouldn’t want to eat it too often. I thought it was delicious, but then again it’s hard to find a food that I won’t eat.

 

NUTRITIONALS: Chinese/Thai food gets a bad rep for being unhealthy– which is understandable since most of this type of food is deep battered, fried, drenched in salty sauce. The estimated calories for these peanut noodles is about 320 calories, if you divide it into six servings. The only calorie-adding ingredients are the peanut butter, sesame oil and the honey. Peanut butter has healthy fats and protein, and sesame oil has healthy fats. So from my professional opinion, this is a suitable, healthy way to eat oriental!