Aromatic Noodles with Lime-Peanut Sauce (CEIMB)

It's Thursday, which means it's time for a CEIMB recipe! This one is not for the faint of heart, particularly with the tweaks I gave to it. It's spicy, zingy, and delicious, with a subtle richness to it at the same time. I thought it was remarkably flavorful. Ellie Krieger has proven, once again, that healthy does not equal boring. In case there were any of you out there who were still holding out.

Peanut butter and noodles don't seem like the most obvious combination, no matter how much Thai food you might eat. (And I eat a *lot* of Thai food). But when you thin out the peanut butter with lime juice, soy sauce, and rice vinegar, suddenly it's not just something you spread on your English muffin. It's a sauce, people. And you just made it in your trusty food processor in about 30 seconds.

I changed up the veggie profile a bit, focusing on the broccoli and adding in avocado as a garnish. It was good. Really, really good.

Aromatic Noodles with Lime-Peanut Sauce
adapted from Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave
serves 3

INGREDIENTS:

6 ounces whole wheat spaghetti or angel hair
florets of 1 head of broccoli
1/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
juice of 1 small lime (about 1 tablespoon)
1 scallion, cut into pieces
1/2 inch fresh ginger, finely grated
1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 small avocado, pitted and sliced for garnish
toasted sesame seeds for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pot.

2. Meanwhile, put broccoli in a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water and steam for 5 minutes, or until crisp-tender.

3. While everything is cooking, puree the peanut butter, soy sauce, water, vinegar, lime juice, scallion, ginger, brown sugar, and red pepper in a food processor until smooth.

4. Toss the pasta with most of the sauce, reserving about two tablespoons or so. Serve pasta topped with broccoli, drizzle with remaining sauce, and garnish with avocado slices and toasted sesame seeds.

Enjoy!