Peanut Pumpkin Curry Noodles = AMAZING.

Sometime last week I was talking about my cooking adventures. I was asked what my favorite dish to make was - and so I had to share it with all of you! Given the 'autumn' theme of it, I usually only make it 2-3 times a year, but it's so delicious that I even dream of having it on even the warmest of summer days. It's my vegetarian adaptation of a Rachael Ray recipe, so feel free to add 'five-spiced' chicken if you're a meat eater or fancy it up with scallops or another kind of seafood. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Peanut - Pumpkin Curry Noodles with Five-Spice Asparagus
(Serves 4)

Ingredients
• 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
• Salt and Pepper
• 3 tablespoons oil (whatever you have is fine)
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 inches ginger root, minced or grated
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter ( I use low-fat Jif)
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup tamari dark soy sauce, eyeball it
• 1 (15-ounce) can cooked pumpkin
• 2 rounded tablespoonfuls Curry Powder or paste
• 3 tablespoons five-spice powder
• 1 bunch Asparagus, cut in to 1-inch pieces
• 4 scallions, chopped

Directions
Heat a large pot of water for noodles. When water boils, salt it and add pasta to cook to al dente or with a bite to it.

Heat a small to medium skillet over high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil to hot skillet. Place the asparagus and five-spice powder (along with some salt) in the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Set aside.

Using the same deep skillet over medium heat, add in 2 tablespoons oil. Add garlic, ginger, red bell pepper, and pepper flakes to the pan and cook together a couple of minutes, then add peanut butter and melt it. Whisk soy into peanut butter, then stir in pumpkin and curry powder or paste. The sauce will be very thick. Turn down the heat to low. Add a ladle or 2 of pasta cooking water to thin sauce a bit and simmer over low heat. Add asparagus back to sauce. Adjust salt, to taste.

Drain pasta and return pasta to the pot. Add the curry-pumpkin sauce and toss thoroughly. Serve noodles topped with the chopped scallions.