Peanut Soba Noodles

My apologies for the hiatus in not posting a recipe last week - to make up for it here is the first of two wonderful asian noodle dishes that I have created recently. These are great for a weeknight meal when you want to throw something together in less than 30 minutes.

While this dish doesn't have a main protein, this soba noodle recipe is actually packed with it, between the peanut butter, peanuts, and edamame. We like to make a big batch of this and have it for leftovers, but you can certainly cut it in half or a third for a one-night meal or smaller portions. We also served this at a casual dinner party - everyone went back for seconds!

Soba noodles made with 100% buckwheat are gluten-free, making this a great meal for anyone with a gluten allergy. Just make sure that you read the label if this is the case - some soba noodles also include whole wheat flour. Soba noodles can generally be found in any grocery store in the asian section.

Peanut Soba Noodles
Makes 6-8 servings

Active time: 5 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes

16 oz. dried soba noodles
2 c. edamame
2 carrots, grated
1 c. roasted, salted, shelled peanuts, plus a few more for garnish
1 c. chopped green onions, plus a few more for garnish
1 T. toasted sesame seeds, plus a few more for garnish
3/4 c. natural creamy peanut butter
4 T. low-sodium soy sauce
2 T. sesame oil
2 t. Tabasco or other hot sauce
3/4 c. hot water from the soba noodles

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, grate the carrots and chop the scallions. Additionally, combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, and Tabasco in a small bowl.

Cook the soba noodles according to package directions, reserving about 1 c. of the cooking water before draining. Drain the noodles. Gradually add about 3/4 c. of the cooking water to the peanut sauce mixture, whisking to combine. This will help to thin and emulsify the sauce, making it easier to coat the noodles. Put the noodles, carrots, sesame seeds, peanuts, edamame, and green onions in a large bowl. Add the peanut sauce gradually and stir to combine until coated to your liking (I used the full amount of sauce for this amount of noodles).  Top with some additional peanuts, scallions, and green onions, and serve!

Whole-Wheat Oatmeal Pecan Cookies

Sometimes (ok, often) in the middle of the week I'm in the mood for a treat, but don't want something too heavy. I had some pecans in my cupboard along with some whole-wheat pastry flour but no butter, and thought I would experiment with making some cookies that are a little bit healthier using olive oil instead. The result was even better than I expected - cookies that are full of flavor, chewy yet relatively light in texture, and great for a little treat or snack.

These are also just about the easiest cookies I've made - since there's no butter, there is no mixer needed. You just stir the ingredients together!

I used a small ice cream scoop to form the cookies (my new favorite baking accessory for cookies - here's an example: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/kitchen-and-food/serving-utensils/stainless-steel-ice-cream-scoop/s283323) but you can certainly just drop them by the tablespoon onto the cookie sheets.

One more tip - this recipe makes about 30 cookies, but if you don't think you can polish them off in a week or so (these kept remarkably well in an airtight container), I also love to freeze almost any type of cookies before you bake them and then you can pop them out of the freezer for impromptu cookie cravings in the future right into the oven. To do this, drop the cookies as you normally would onto a cookie sheet, then put them in the freezer for about 15-30 minutes (it's ok if it's longer). Once they've started to freeze a little, you can transfer them to a ziplog bag or reusable container and freeze them for several months. When you're ready to bake them, take them out of the freezer, put them on a cookie sheet, and bake for 1-2 minutes longer than called for below.

Whole-Wheat Oatmeal Pecan Cookies
Makes ~ 30 cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes cooking time per batch

1 1/2 c. whole-wheat pastry flour
1 1/4 c. old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
3/4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. fine grain sea salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1 egg
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. maple syrup
2 T. molasses
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. olive oil
Approx. 30 pecan halves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamonm and nuts. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, brown sugar, maple syrup, molasses, vanilla, and olive oil. Stir in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Drop by the tablespoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Immediately upon taking the cookies out of the oven, press a pecan half into each cookie. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, then enjoy!

Hello Spring Asparagus & Pea Pasta

I have been anxiousy awaiting the arrival of spring vegetables - particularly asparagus and fresh spring peas. This pasta dish (which can be made gluten free with the substitution of brown rice pasta) allowed me to use up some of the rotini I had left over from my arugula and pumpkin seed pesto pasta and incorporate some of the wonderful new things I got at the farmer's market. Don't worry, however, if you can't find fresh peas - frozen actually work well in this dish. It's a simple, delicious, and easy weeknight meal.

Hello Spring Asparagus & Pea Pasta
Serves 2

Active Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

3/4 lb. asparagus, ends snapped off and cut into 1'' pieces
1 c. peas (fresh or frozen & thawed - they can be easily thawed in the microwave)
6 oz. (about 2 c.) whole wheat rotini pasta (this shape holds onto the ricotta the best)
1/3 c. walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
Lemon zest
Extra virgin olive oil
Whole-milk ricotta cheese
Kosher salt
Black pepper

Boil water for the pasta. Meanwhile, snap off the tough ends of the asparagus and cut into 1'' pieces. Also, toast the walnuts in a small skillet until fragrant and lightly browned, a few minutes, then roughly chop.

Add the pasta when the water is boiling and cook until al dente (according to package directions - or about 9 minutes), adding the asparagus and peas for the last 3 minutes of cooking time.

Drain and toss with 1 T. olive oil, 1/2 t. salt and 1/4. t. pepper. Divide into pasta bowls and top with a large dollop of ricotta, a fresh grating of lemon zest, walnuts, pinch of kosher salt and pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.