Asian Peanut Noodles

I've been bored with my dinner options recently.  I've also been on a bit of an Asian food kick so I've been trying to find some new dishes that incorporate my needs.

I found this recipe from Cooking Light magazine.  I love this recipe.  I always have these ingredients on hand and I was able to whip it up really quickly.  I think that this could serve as a main meal or as a side dish, depending on what you're looking for.

The recipe doesn't call for the vegetable to be cooked at all which is fine, but since I did serve this warm I think next time I'll try to blanch the veggies a little bit.

Asian Peanut Noodles:
(adapted from Cooking Light)

6 ounces whole-wheat linguine or spaghetti
1 teaspoon sirarcha
1 tablespoon reduced-fat creamy peanut butter
3 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 cup matchstick-cut carrots
1/2 cup matchstick-cut green onions

Cook the noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain them well.

Combine the sirarcha, peanut butter, soy sauce, and lime juice in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk to combine well. Add the noodles, carrots, and green onions; toss and serve immediately.

Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies

I love peanut butter cookies.  I also love peanut butter cups.  When my mom was a teacher she would make these for her students.  They are awesome, I'd say that they're in my top 3 for cookies. I think they might be  Mr. T's favorite.

Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies:

(adapted from Paula Deen)

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter, creamy or crunchy

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Small peanut butter cups

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a large baking sheet.

In a mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, 1 cup sugar replacement, the egg, and vanilla, and stir well with a spoon. Roll the dough into balls the size of walnuts. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet. Take some of the unwrapped peanut butter cups and press one into each cookie ball.

Bake for 12 minutes, remove from the oven, and cool slightly before removing from pan.

Peanut Butter Buttercream

I did a small catering event for my mom this weekend.  It was a two day painting workshop that she was teaching.  I provided lunch for both days.  One of the days I make chocolate whoopie pies with a peanut butter frosting.

Peanut Butter Buttercream:
(Martha Stewart)

Ingredients:

2/3 cup natural, creamy peanut butter
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
Fine salt (optional)

Directions:

Cream peanut butter and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed. 

On low speed, mix in sugar until combined, then beat mixture on high speed until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Add salt to taste.

I really like this frosting.  It's not too sweet, which the older I get the more I appreciate.  I would not skip the salt, I think it adds another layer of flavor.

Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

I love cheesecake.  It's probably my favorite dessert.  One of the reasons that I like it so much is that you can add a million different flavors to it.  I love oreo, turtle, snickers, chocolate mint... the list goes on.

Here's one that I made this weekend.  I found peanut buttercups on sale so I decided to make a peanut buttercup cheesecake.

Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake:
3 pounds cream cheese
4 eggs
2 T flour
2 T corn starch
3 cups sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla
pinch of salt
10 large peanut butter cups

large spring form pan, greased with butter.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Take a spring form pan and grease it well with either non-stick cooking spray or butter.

Cream the cheese and sugar well. Add corn starch, flour, vanilla salt, cream again.

Add eggs, one at a time.

Add chopped peanut buttercups this time.  Make sure cake is thoroughly mixed and smooth. Pour into pan.

Bake until it's lightly brown on top and the center is solid to the touch, about 2 hours.  Remove from oven. let cool.

Refrigerate on the base of the springform pan in the fridge at least 12 hours before serving.

It's even better the next day.

Thai Peanut Noodle

When I was in college I worked for a small vegetarian cafe.  We served a lot of really interesting foods and working there made me expand my palate. One of the side dishes that I eventually learned to love was the Thai Peanut Noodle salad.  We served it cold which is fine, but when it's warm it's amazing.

This can be made gluten free by using gluten free soy sauce, but make sure you check your peanut butter.  If it's not natural there could be some fillers.


Thai Peanut Noodle:
(Book Lover’s Cafe)

¼ cup rice wine vinegar
1 cup soy sauce
½ tablespoon hot sauce
1/3 cup toasted sesame oil
¾ cup peanut butter
½ cup water
1 package of mung bean (cellophane) or rice noodles

Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Add noodles. Lower heat and simmer for eight minutes.
Whisk vinegar, soy sauce, hot sauce, sesame oil, peanut butter, and water in a bowl until smooth.
Rinse and drain noodles in cold water. Toss with peanut sauce and garnish with chopped green onions.

Peanut Butter No-Bake Pie

I love peanut butter.  My family does too.  I decided to try something new recently and picked a no-bake Peanut Butter Pie with a chocolate cookie crust.

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup milk

1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed

2 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crusts

Directions:

1. Beat together cream cheese and confectioners' sugar. Mix in peanut butter and milk. Beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping.

2. Spoon into two 9 inch chocolate cookie pie shells; cover, and freeze until firm.

 
ENJOY!