The original recipe for Peanut Sesame Noodles is from SmittenKitchen, and while it looked fabulous, I wanted to see if I could lighten it up a bit, mostly by reducing the amount of peanut butter and increasing the vegetables. I used red wine vinegar only because I had run out of rice vinegar, although I am not sure it made a big difference.

The sauce was perhaps thinner than intended, and just at the edge of my spice tolerance, but I liked the dish overall. The next day it was even better. It’s nice to have a cool dish for hot summer days – now we just need more hot summer days!

8 oz. whole wheat linguini, cooked, drained, and rinsed in cold water
2 c. chopped broccoli, steamed for 2 minutes
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 c. tofu, chopped
1/2 c. chopped scallion

Dressing:
1/4 c. crunchy peanut butter
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. warm water
1 T chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 t minced garlic
2 T red wine vinegar
1 1/2 t Asian toasted sesame oil
1 T honey
1 t chili paste

Place salad ingredients in a large bowl. Mix dressing ingredients and blend in a food processor. Toss salad with dressing.

• Main Dishes