Impromptu Peanut Sesame Noodles.

Tonight, after returning after a long days work and a few errands, I was faced with the fact that I needed to use or lose the green beans sitting in my fridge. I had been craving peanut noodles this week as well, so with a glance in the cupboard, I found that I had all I needed to create a tasty twist on the traditional peanut noodle.

The noodles took place in two steps:

Dressing:

1/4 C peanut butter (I used low fat creamy, so as long as it's smooth use what you like), softened for 15 seconds in microwave

3 TBSP Soy Sauce

3 TBSP Sesame Oil

2 TBSP EVOO

3 squirts of the Sriracha bottle (this is a chili paste/sauce I keep on hand at all times - you can find it in the Asian aisle at all grocery stores)

1 TBSP minced garlic

1/4 C lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

2 TBSP sugar

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

Green beans and Noodles:

Then, cut the ends off of the green beans and cut into 1 inch pieces. Blanch in boiling water for 1-2 minutes until crisp tender, rinsing in cold water t stop cooking process.

Keep water and return to boil, adding 12 oz of whole wheat pasta (spaghetti or linguine is fine) and cooking until al dente. While pasta is cooking, chop 1 cup parsley.

Drain and rinse pasta with cold water until cool. Combine pasta, parsley and green beans in bowl and add dressing. Stir to coat and place in fridge until chilled, a minimum of a half hour.