Rice Vermicelli Noodles with Peanut Sauce and Snow Peas

I had a lot of rice vermicelli noodles leftover from this soup, so I took another stab at creating a peanut sauce that I like a lot, and this one came out pretty nicely! Sugar snap peas also work for this.

I think I'll try to spice it up a little next time by adding a little chili sauce or crushed red pepper.

Serves 6. Serve warm or cold.

Rice Vermicelli Noodles with Peanut Sauce and Snow Peas

Ingredients

1 8oz package rice vermicelli noodles
3 cups snow peas, trimmed
1/2 cup green onion, sliced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

For the peanut sauce

3/4 cup natural, creamy peanut butter
1 14oz can coconut milk (I used light coconut milk)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 teaspoon curry powder
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 limes, juiced
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Peanuts, roughly chopped, for topping
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the snow peas for about 20 seconds then remove them with a slotted spoon and run cold water over them. Bring the water back to a boil and cook the rice vermicelli noodles according to package.

2. Meanwhile, make the peanut sauce by stirring all of the ingredients together over medium heat until combined. Simmer for a few minutes until thick.

3. Drain the rice vermicelli and mix well with the peanut sauce. Mix in the cilantro and green onions and top with chopped peanuts.



Gettin' saucy:

Peanut Lime Noodles

I made this Food Network recipe for Aromatic Noodles with Lime Peanut Sauce (such a fancy name!) the other night and realized that my battles with soy do not end with tofu. Any ideas for good alternatives to soy sauce?

Despite that - I really liked this peanut sauce. It wasn't too thick or too thin, it was, well, just right (I just wrote a 10 page paper comparing three different versions of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, so that's what is running through my brain right now).

Although I love veggies and practically add about a pound of them into every recipe I make, this recipe overloads the veggies quite a bit, so I cut those in half for the recipe. I also wasn't thrilled about the noodles I used because I couldn't find those clearish Pad Thai noodles, but overall, this was pretty tasty and fed me for a few days. I think the lime is really important, especially for eating the leftovers, so I'd get a few more of those to keep adding it on.

Ingredients

14 oz Pad Thai noodles
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup snow peas, trimmed
1 cup sugar snap peas, trimmed
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus extra to taste
1 scallion, chopped
3/4 inch fresh ginger, finely grated
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup shelled unsalted peanuts
salt

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of water according to the directions on the package. Drain and rinse with cold water. While the pasta is cooking put the broccoli in a steamer basket over a large pot of boiling water and steam it for 3 minutes. Add the snow peas and sugar snap peas and steam for 2 minutes more.

2. Make the sauce by pureeing the peanut butter, soy sauce, water, vinegar, lime juice, scallion, ginger, sugar and red pepper flakes in a food processor or blender until smooth.

3. Right before serving, toss the pasta with the peanut sauce and vegetables. Chop the peanuts and add into the noodles. Squeeze extra lime juice onto the noodles and add salt to taste.