Peanut Noodles with Vegetables

Peanut butter has always been a favorite food of mine. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were the only type I would eat growing up (they still are my favorite). In 5th grade my friend Brittany introduced me to apple slices with peanut butter and I have been having that as a snack every since. Celery on it's own- not the best. With peanut butter? Delicious!

Peanut sauce on noodles and vegetables is a comfort food that is healthy and tastes great eatten hot or cold. Usually I make this with spaghetti noodles, but I didn't have any at home so Dreamfields rotini pasta were substituted. You could add different vegetables as well- thinly sliced carrots and snow peas would be great in this too. Enjoy!

Peanut Noodles with Vegetables
1tbsp oil (olive, grapeseed, vegetable or coconut oil)
2 garlic cloves, diced, separated
1/2 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 cup snap peas, sliced into strips
1 medium zucchini, diced (I used 5 baby zucchini)
1 baby bok choy, chopped
1/2 cup edamame
2 oz pasta (spaghetti, rotini, or penne)
2 tbsp natural peanut butter
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce
3 tbsp chicken broth
1/2 tsp fish sauce
scallions, peanuts, cilantro, chopped for garnish

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Reserve 2-3 tbsp of the cooking water.
2. In a wok or large saute pan, heat oil. Add 1 garlic clove and ginger. Allow to cook for about 1-2 minutes or until fragrant
3. Add vegetables to pan and saute for several minutes until bok choy is wilted and vegetables are beginning to get soft. Season with kosher salt and ground pepper.
4. While vegetables and pasta are cooking, combine 1 clove garlic, peanut butter, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil and chicken broth. Whisk together until smooth. Add pasta water as needed to reach a honey-like consistency.
4. Add pasta and peanut sauce to pan. Stir to evenly coat vegetables and pasta with the sauce.
Top with fresh cilantro, chopped peanuts and scallions.

Veggie Stir-fry with Egg

One of the perks of living in a bigger city in my opinion is the Asian markets. These were not to be found in Bismarck or Billings. Here they seem to pop up in just about every neighborhood. I love how I can one minute be in Minneapolis, Minnesota and the next minute, after stepping into one of these markets feel like I am in Hong Kong, Thailand or Vietnam. The produce is usually very cheap (4 limes for $1, a bag of shallots $2, package of dry noodles $.75) and you can find any and every Asian sauce or paste you could ever think of. This past week for less than $4 I bought- 7 baby bok choy, 2 Thai eggplants, 1 purple eggplant, package of dry noodles, fresh ginger and fresh fenugreek, everyone around me was speaking Chinese and it was great! Here is one of the dishes I made with the purchases. It reminded us of some of the Cambodian street food we had and the best part is that you can add whatever vegetables you have on hand. Plus, what isn't delicious topped with a fried egg? Enjoy!

Stir-fry Veggies with Egg (serves 2)

1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp honey
dash of sesame oil
2 tbsp chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 tsp fresh garlic, diced
2 cups cooked noodles
vegetables of choice, chopped (e.g. carrots, peppers, onion, egg plant, zucchini, bok choy, spinach, baby corn cobs, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, mushrooms, broccoli)
2 eggs, fried
chili sauce (optional)

1. In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tbsp of grapeseed, canola or vegetable oil. Add vegetables (except spinach/bok choy, bean sprouts, water chestnuts if using). Sauté for several minutes until starting to soften.   2. Add garlic and ginger and cook for several more minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add a splash of chicken broth to deglaze the pan.
3. Add spinach/bok choy and other vegetables if using. Cook for 2-5 minutes until greens are wilted. Add noodles to pan and combine with vegetables.
4. Combine cornstarch, soy sauce, fish sauce, chicken broth, honey. Pour over vegetables and cook for an additional 2-4 minutes. Add more soy sauce or chicken broth to taste.
5. Serve in a large bowl topped with an egg. Add additional chili sauce as desired. Eat with chop sticks if you can!

Crispy Tofu

Okay, so I know what you are thinking. "Tofu????" Some of you are probably contemplating not even reading this post because tofu is the topic. Many Americans have a very poor opinion of tofu.  It is a food we are not familiar with, it can have a strange taste and texture, and we are used to eating meat and substituting that with tofu is apparently unacceptable.  I can't say that I am a tofu connoisseur by any stretch. I am not grossed out by it or afraid of it, but I really have only cooked with it a handful of times. I use it when I make the edamame, tofu fried rice and combined with the rice and vegetables you really can't even taste the tofu. One time, I pureed some soft tofu along with ricotta cheese for manicotti and I think when I served it to my dad he didn't even notice! Most of my tofu experience has basically consisted of hiding it in something else. What is tofu exactly? Tofu is actually the curd of soybean milk and is a staple in Asian cultures. It is available in different levels of firmness depending on what you are preparing and it is very bland on it's own. Tofu takes on the flavor of whatever you are cooking it in or with. On a health note, tofu is high in protein, low in calories, very low in fat and regular intake of soy is good for heart health.

Tuesday nights Aaron meets up with a friend for dinner, so it's my night off from cooking .Usually I eat leftovers or a salad, but occasionally I use the time to make something I know Aaron wouldn't really appreciate. Tonight I pulled out some leftover tofu from making the fried rice dish. For once I wanted to try tofu with out hiding it too much. It has a pretty soft texture on it's own, so I thought crispy tofu might be tasty.  In my head I pictured a golden, caramelized outside with a soft, velvety center. I looked for recipes and didn't really find anything that sounded quite like what I was picturing. In the end I combined a few ideas together and it was a success! The tofu was golden, crispy and dipped into teriyaki sauce I thought it actually tasted really good. Tofu may not be something you will have on a regular basis, but don't be afraid to try it. I think it's healthy for all of us to broaden our food horizons and try new things. Enjoy!


Crispy Tofu
Serves 2


-1 tbsp cooking oil such as grapeseed oil, peanut oil, or canola oil
-6 oz firm tofu, sliced
-1/4 cup cornmeal (I processed it in the food processor for several seconds to make the cornmeal a finer texture, but this is probably not necessary)
-salt, pepper, garlic powder
-soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, chili sauce, barbecue sauce or any dipping sauce of choice


1. Pat the tofu dry on both sides with a paper towel. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan
2. Season tofu generously with salt, pepper, and garlic. Use other spices as desired.
3. Pour cornmeal onto a small plate. Press tofu into cornmeal on both sides and then place in heated pan
4. Cook tofu on each side until golden and crisp, approximately 3-5 minutes per side.
5. Serve with dipping sauce of choice