Cold Sesame Noodles

Monday, already? How does the weekend always seem to go by so fast? Well, I had a pretty good weekend, although I did work on Saturday. And, have you seen the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises? Fan-freaking-tabulous! I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to movies...I love all the comic book-based movies, fantasy sci-fi, etc. So, naturally I love me some Batman. If you haven't made plans to see it yet, you should! Even if you want to wait for it to come out on DVD, just make sure you watch it!!

Anywho, I know you aren't hear for me to geek-out over a movie. So, let's get on to the food!

Holy peanut butter heaven. I know I've told you how much I'm loving peanut butter sauces lately, but these noodles were on my menu for weeks and let me just say that they definitely lived up to my expectations! I actually grilled some chicken to go with the noodles, and I ate the leftovers for lunch for two days. In a row. And, I was a little sad when it was all gone. Peanut butter deliciousness. Did I mention that already?

This is one of those quick weeknight meals that you can make in a pinch because you likely have all the ingredients on-hand at any given time. Throw some grilled chicken in with it and add a side salad (ooh, with a sesame-ginger dressing!), and you have one great meal.  

Cold Sesame Noodles

Source: A Taste of Home Cooking

Ingredients

• 1 lb Chinese egg noodles or spaghetti
• Kosher salt
• 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp red chili sauce (I used chili oil)
• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 6 Tbsp water
• 2 scallions, sliced thin
• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Preparation

1. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions (for tender noodles, not al dente.)
2. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool. Drain the noodles well and transfer to a wide bowl.
3. In a blender or food processor, combine the ginger, garlic, sugar, peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, chili sauce, sesame oil, and water. Blend until smooth.
4. Refrigerate and let it chill for 30 minutes then pour the peanut sauce over the noodles and toss until well coated.
5. Top with the scallions and sesame seeds, and serve!