Vegetarian Wednesday: Asian peanut noodle

Vegetarian day week 4 was a success, even though a certain someone cheated by having some meat.  Actually it was partly my fault that I didn’t tell David it was vegetarian day before he made his breakfast sandwich in the morning.  But it wasn’t my fault when he chose to have 2 hot dogs for a snack in between lunch and dinner.

We had a late lunch at Sushi Town and stuffed ourselves with gomae, assorted sushi and sashimi, fantastic roll and my favourite potato croquettes.

For dinner, I made noodles with a peanut sauce.  This gave me a chance to use up some of the peanut butter I have and fresh cilantro from my mini herb garden before they died. 

This noodle dish is oh so good!

The tofu wasn’t very flavourful, but that was made up for by the noodles with its creamy and spicy sauce.  The only thing I would change next time is add more veggies and maybe use tempeh (if I can find it) instead of tofu.

Recipe (adapted from inspiring healthy living):

makes about 4-5 servings

• 1 375 g package of whole wheat spaghetti
• 1/4 cup no-salt-added vegetable stock
• 3 tbsp peanut butter
• 2 tbsp (reduced-sodium) soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1-2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp red chili flakes or to taste (optional)
• 1 carrot, peeled and grated
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cups kale (I used spinach)
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (plus more for garnishing)
• 1 package of tempeh (I used extra firm tofu, sliced)

Other optional veggies to use include broccoli, snow peas, mushrooms, bok choy, or bean sprouts. Adding a squeeze of lime or sprinkling a few extra peanuts on top is also delicious!

1. Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions. In the meantime, prepare the peanut sauce* by whisking together the stock, peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar and chili flakes (if using) until smooth.
2. In a large wok or frying pan on medium-high heat with 1-2 tsp olive oil, stir fry peppers with carrots, garlic and ginger for a couple of minutes.  Add spinach and cook until wilted (couple more minutes). While the veggies are cooking, pan fry the tempeh slices separately in 1 tsp of sesame oil until slightly brown (about 2-3 minutes per side). Set aside. **I chose sesame oil because the tempeh I purchased was sesame/garlic flavoured. Olive or canola oil works.  (I brushed each side of the tofu with the sauce and fried 2-3 minutes/side with sesame oil)
3. Add the green onion, cilantro, cooked spaghetti, and peanut sauce to the vegetables in the wok. Toss to coat. Serve the noodles in bowls and top with a few slices of tempeh and some cilantro.

*I like my food saucy, so I usually double the sauce ingredients.

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