Peanut Noodle Salad

I needed a lot of NOODLE SALAD for a picnic party and had already made potato salad. I wanted something that tasted different. I had cooked up a lot of spiral noodles the day before and refrigerated them. There was a gallon and a half of them, waiting to be doctored. Somehow I got it in my mind to make a sort of PEANUT NOODLE SALAD with a Thai theme. 

In a big bowl mix the following:

 

Ingredients

3 Tblsp.— crunchy peanut butter

¼ cup — toasted sesame oil

¼ cup — rice vinegar

¼ cup — olive oil

1 Tblsp. — tamari

1 tsp. — agave syrup

1 tsp. — Harry’s Habenero hot sauce

2 inch piece — peeled and grated fresh ginger (remove the hairy bits)

1 clove — fresh garlic

Small handful — fresh cilantro, chopped

½ cup — raisins

1 carrot — grated

Method

Stir in approximately twenty-four cups of the cooked rotini or spiral noodles, or try some other pasta if that’s all you have. This tasted good enough that I was asked a couple of times what was in it. Luckily, I had written down what I was throwing in the bowl. You can save any leftover marinade in a jar for a week or so to use for another batch if you don’t have a huge pan to cook up as many noodles all at once like I did. Noodle salad, hot weather, and easy dinners go very nicely in the summer.

Summertime Meal

Tonight's meal went over pretty well. Such a hot day called for multiple salads. I did have to turn on the stove to cook the rotini and the collard greens, but after that it was all just a matter of marinating.

I had found a great corn and tomato salad recipe in the paper which I liked because I had all the ingredients—or so I thought. Somebody had eaten the two ears of cooked corn I was counting on, so I changed it to a ZUCCHINI TOMATO CUCUMBER SALAD. 

Substitute cooked corn if you have it for the cucumbers, but this salad was fine the way it was.

Noodle Salad and Vegan Pesto

Chopped collards, carrots and green onion

I don't feel like cooking every night in the summer, but cold pasta dishes are quick and easy to prepare, and enough can be made ahead, in case the next day is even hotter, or if you are going on a picnic or to a potluck.

Cook up a bunch of noodles in as big a pan as you have, filled three quarters full with water and a sprinkle of salt. There are plenty of different varieties of pasta, so pick your favorite. I usually use the organic spiral rotini or the diagonally cut penne tubes, just because I buy it in bulk and have a lot around. You can find noodles made from whole grains or gluten free varieties, if you want them.