doodles and noodles

I was in one of those “*siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh* What am I going to make for lunch?” conundrums (in econ class, where believe me, there is nothing better to think about than one’s next meal).

And then my brain went, PEANUT NOODLES PEANUT NOODLES!

Photographed at my desk, upon my doodles diligently taken notes from class.

Peanut Noodles in a Hurry

2 oz udon noodles (I got these in my Asian Food Grocer shipment- honestly in this recipe they looked and tasted exactly like regular pasta), cooked according to package directions with a little bit of cooking water reserved

1 T peanut butter

1/2 T soy sauce

1/2 T rice vinegar

wee bit o’ garlic, finely minced (1/8 tsp?)

wee bit o’ ginger, finely minced

1/4 t sesame oil

1/2 t Sriracha

1/3 bell pepper, julienned

1/2 carrot, julienned

1/2 green onion, minced

Combine peanut butter through Sriracha. Throw on pasta and a T or two of cooking water, until they combine to form a sauce.

Throw in veggies.

Chill if you’d like.

Top with additional Sriracha! Eat with chopsticks if you’re a badass like me.

When I was a kid, we like LIVED on peanut noodles, which we called, back in the day, “spicy spaghetti”. My mom’s recipe was from the Moosewood cookbook, and is excellent. I should copy it down the next time I’m home… She has since confessed that she used it in the slightly hectic post-divorce era when she was looking for a dinner that was ready in 15 minutes after work and needed to stretch a buck. Whatever the reason, I looooooved having it all the time! It’s also fab with some tofu on top. And you can use any kind of noodles you’d like- it’s especially tasty with soba!

On the side, I had apple slices (because, as previously discussed, I eat ludicrous quantities of apples in autumn) and green tea (because, as previously discussed, I have a permanently sore throat in Massachusetts in autumn).