Thai Peanut Noodle Salad

With Helene Spoto

With its big, bold flavors of garlic and ginger, crispy vegetables and noodles in a smooth, spicy-sweet peanut sauce, this recipe is full of flavor and is easy to make in no time.

Do you have Spring fever? I do. Do you remember when the sun went down at 4:30 PM just a few months ago? I do. After the winter we just experienced, it’s hard to forget. Now that the weather is finally warming up and the sun is staying out later, I am too. So let’s get out there and enjoy it.

If you are back in the groove with soccer and baseball games or even that early evening walk or bike ride, you probably have a game plan for dinner, right? Okay, maybe you don’t. It’s a fact that old habits die hard and your plan may include the old stand bys like take out or fast food. I know there may be nights you will have no other choice but to go that route, however, I have a solution for at least one fabulous meal you can make at home.

If you want something satisfying and full of flavor, yet still light, fresh and healthy, try my Thai Peanut Noodle Salad. It has the big, bold flavors of ginger and garlic, crispy vegetables and noodles in a spicy-sweet peanut sauce you can make in no time. 

Before my makeover of this recipe, it was delicious; however, it was loaded with fat and calories, and although we assume salads should be healthy for us, that isn’t always the case. I used ingredients lower in sodium and sugar, and lesser amounts of the oils and peanut butter to cut the fat and calories while still maintaining the great flavor. It’s also versatile enough so you can try different combinations of vegetables to appeal to your family’s tastes. I used carrots and parsley, but you can substitute broccoli for the carrots and cilantro in place of parsley. Use your imagination to make this recipe “your own”.  

Try my Thai Peanut Noodle Salad. It is a light; tasty recipe you can easily make at home that will fit perfectly into your springtime schedule.This video was filmed in the Kitchen Showroom at Baron's Major Brands Appliances, Salem, NH. You can obtain more information at their web site; www.baronsmajorbrands.com.

Ingredients

1 pound thin spaghetti, cooked, drained and set aside (whole wheat recommended for a healthier version)
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and sliced thin
4 scallions, sliced diagonally
1 can baby corn, drained
1 ½ cups mini baby carrots
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
¼ cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup low sodium, low sugar rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1-tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 heaping teaspoon freshly grated ginger
¼ cup smooth all-natural peanut butter
2 teaspoons Siracha sauce
1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
Warm water for thinning sauce if needed

Instructions

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain, lightly rinse and set aside.
2. Prepare the vegetables. Add them to the bowl of pasta.
3. Prepare the dressing by whisking together the ingredients from the vegetable oil to Hoisin sauce in a bowl. If the sauce seems too thick, add a bit of warm water to thin it out.
4. Pour the dressing into the bowl and toss with the pasta and vegetables.
5. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
6. Remove the plastic wrap and toss again.
7. Serve.

Enjoy!


 Recipe courtesy of Helene Spotio, Helene's Custom Cuisine, 2011.


Nutrition Information*

Servings:                    6
Amount per serving
Calories:                    433.5

    * Total Fat: 1.5g
    * Saturated Fat: 0.2g
    * Cholesterol: 0.1 mg
    * Sodium: 342.8mg
    * Total Carbs: 54.4g
    * Dietary Fiber: 6.5g
    * Protein: 14.2g


*Nutrition Information Per Serving provided by SparkPeople Inc.’s Recipe Calculator

Proprietor & Cooking Instructor, "Helene's Custom Cuisine - Personal and Business Culinary Services."

Helene is still surprised how she became a cooking instructor. She always loved to cook, however, having a busy career as co-owner of Sentry Financial Planning in Burlington & Danvers; she didn’t have much time to spend in the kitchen. Looking for ways to simplify her cooking while still making great food, she learned to adapt recipes in order to make them quick, healthy and still taste great. Helene was so excited about her discoveries she began sharing them with family and friends. She had no idea that this hobby would turn into an opportunity to show so many people how easy this can be as a cooking instructor for the past six years.

With Helene’s Custom Cuisine, her goal, whether it’s a private or group cooking class, interactive dinner party, team building event or corporate on-site cooking demonstration, is to help people discover that preparing delicious food can be done quickly and easily with great results.

Still, the most important three words to describe my cooking are: Quick Healthy Delicious

She lives in Andover with her husband, John.