I always have to have a large industrial sized jar of peanut butter in my fridge. It is a staple, used for everything from on toast, to creating delicious desserts, to snacking on celery with. One of my favorite applications for peanut butter however, is in a dressing, especially one with thai flavors! It is great on a tossed salad with veggies, but I especially love it when paired with noodles! When I used to be a pescatarian, I made one with shrimp and veggies, and it was always something that I loved so much I licked the plate clean. I hadn't made it since becoming a vegetarian, but decided to this week with sauteed chicken style seitan in place of the shrimp. I was going over to my boyfriend Scott's house for dinner and wanted something that could be made a day ahead of time and taste delicious, since I didn't want to cook after work. It was a risk, as he is not a vegetarian and seitan is something that was new to him. But I had confidence that it would be good, afterall, how could anyone resist a silky peanut butter sauce on noodles! I added lots of crunchy local veggies, radishes, snap peas and carrots, with cilantro and scallions. I wanted to add red pepper, but local and organic ones weren't available and I wasn't about to buy an expensive pepper shipped half way around the world that wasn't even organic. I didn't miss the pepper, and there was plenty of veg as was. I laced the dressing with lots of ginger and spicy pepper, and it had a nice kick, spicy enough to warm you up, but not so much that you burn your face off. The salad was satisfying and just as I had remembered it...I even liked the seitan better than the shrimp! Best yet, I got Scott to try seitan. He may not be a vegetarian, but that's alright, at least he eats my food, and in his own words the thai peanut noodles were yummy! Try it for yourself if you are a peanut butter lover like me!
Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken Style Seitan
Serves 2
16 oz chicken style seitan, cut into bite sized pieces
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp tamari
4 oz linguini or other long noodles, cooked and cooled to room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas
1 cup carrots, cut julienne
1/2 cup radishes, sliced
1 bunch scallions, sliced
1/4 cup fresh organic cilantro, minced
Dressing:
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp tamari
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
sea salt (to taste)
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
In a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat, heat peanut oil and add seitan, ginger and garlic, and saute until ginger and garlic are fragrant and cooked, about 3-4 minutes. Add tamari and cook a minute more. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, combine seitan, noodles and veggies. In a medium bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients until smooth, then pour over veggies in the larger bowl. Toss to coat, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve!
Yum, Amy! I love Thai food and peanut sauce has come to grow on me. Pretty tasty! Love that you have an "industrial-sized jar" in your fridge :-)
ReplyDeleteThis looks delicious! I wish I could make something like that in my kitchen. When I am craving Thai food, I go to the experts at the restaurants.
ReplyDeleteThat looks original Thai-Style, really, like the noodles I got in Thailand. I think I will try this recipe next time...
ReplyDeleteI'm with you there on the industrial sized peanut butter jar. the bigger the better. Love it in dressings, yes. Lovely noodles, perfect for summer. I like the mix of veg and herbs you've added. Perfect.
ReplyDeleteVery well presented - this dish looks as elegant as it does delicious!
ReplyDeleteThat looks really fantastic! I am a big fan of spicy thai. It is so yummy, I think I could pretty much eat it everyday
ReplyDeleteThis looks great - I love the idea of the peanut sauce and all the fresh veggies!
ReplyDeleteI didn't lose the pepper, and there is a lot of veg as was. I laced the dressing with many ginger and spicy pepper
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