::takeout!::

You will have to bare with me if my posts don't make a whole lot of sense - I am dealing with a wicked cold at the moment and my head is *swimming*. I am a little scatterbrained and probably should have stayed home to rest up. But didn't. So let's hope this day goes by super fast because all I really want right now is my bed and puppies. 

I have no energy....I think I completely ran myself down into the ground from the past two weeks or so with school and stressing out and everything that I got this cold from Travis. I thought I was free...but apparently not. 

Anyways....on Saturday, when I was feeling FABULOUS - I tried a new recipe! I haven't tried a new recipe in a long while...and I was a little skeptical of this one. But it ended up turning out great! I wasn't the biggest fan of it to be honest because I don't like sweet and savoury but it was a huge hit with Trav and he had seconds! So I thought I would share the recipe that I got from Martha Stewart's site. Loooove her. I wish I had gotten some pics but didn't! Only the prep, which I will share. 

By the way, I am not exactly sure why this is called "Lighter Sesame Noodles" it would make more sense if it was something like Noodles in Peanut Sauce or something...I don't know....so don't let the name totally fool you, unless I am missing something...lol.

Bon Appetit!

Lighter Sesame Noodles

Whole-wheat spaghetti complements the zesty sauce while adding fiber. A little less peanut butter plus a lot more vegetables makes this a no-guilt meal.

PREP: 15 min    |     TOTAL: 25 MIN     |     SERVINGS: 4

INGREDIENTS

Coarse salt

12 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti

1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets, stalks peeled and thinly sliced

2 red bell peppers {ribs and seeds removed}, thinly sliced

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

3 tablespoons dark-brown sugar

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 to 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti 3 minutes less than al dente. Add broccoli, bell peppers and onion. Cook until pasta is al dente and vegetables are tender, 3 minutes more. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta and vegetables. 

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together peanut butter, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, oil, garlic and red-pepper flakes. Add hot pasta and vegetables; toss to coat, thinning sauce with a little pasta water, if necessary. Serve at room temperature or chilled. 

Super simple. Of course I did a bit of tweaking - I also added organic chicken to make this a heartier dish. Don't forget the pasta water!!!! I dumped all mine out and had to throw some noodles back into a pot of salted water to get that starch back. 

So yea, I did it a bit differently which I think still came out pretty good. I cooked the chicken, added the onion, then the veg until tender. Then I cooked the pasta, threw the pasta in the other pot and added the sauce with the pasta water. 

Mixed it all up and voila! 

My veg and Lou'e helping me in the kitchen. ;) 

Let me know if you try this recipe out!!

-S.*