Sesame Noodles with Peanut Sauce

I am so in love with these noodles. If you like Thai peanut sauce or Satay, you will love these!

Sesame Noodles with Peanut Sauce

from melskitchencafe.com

*Serves 4-6

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/3 cup chunky peanut butter (I used creamy natural peanut butter: ingredients--dry roasted peanuts, salt. So good.)

2 medium cloves garlic , minced (about 2 teaspoons)

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

5 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)

2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

Hot water

1 lb. chicken breast, cooked and shredded

12 ounces dry whole wheat spaghetti noodles

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

4 scallions (green onions), sliced thin on diagonal

1 medium carrot, grated

Toast sesame seeds in medium skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, a few minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon sesame seeds in small bowl. In blender or food processor, puree remaining 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, peanut butter, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, and sugar until smooth, about 30 seconds. With machine running, add hot water 1 tablespoon (for a total of about 5 tablespoons, give or take) at time until sauce has consistency of heavy cream, slightly thickened but pourable. Set blender jar or work bowl aside.

Bring 6 quarts water to boil in stockpot over high heat. Add noodles and boil until tender, about 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain, then toss noodles with sesame oil until evenly coated. Add shredded chicken, scallions, carrot, and sauce; toss to combine. Divide among individual bowls, sprinkle each bowl with portion of reserved toasted sesame seeds, and serve immediately.

Cabbage and Sausage Soup

So I had some cabbage to use up and found this recipe online. Tons of veggies, so I had little faith that my girls would eat it. They love sausage though, so I called it sausage stew and they loved it! Both of them ate the entire bowl for dinner and again for lunch 2 days later. Awesome! I do love a good bowl of soup/stew on a winter day. I used Jimmy Dean reduced fat sausage instead of the links and Better than Bouillon paste (from costco) instead of the cubes.

Cabbage and Smoked Sausage Soup

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Servings: 8

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound smoked sausage, sliced

4 cups chicken broth

1 head cabbage, coarsely chopped

3 carrots, sliced

3 stalks celery, sliced

1/2 cup uncooked brown rice

1 (15 ounce) can red beans, with liquid

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

2 teaspoons (or 2 cubes) beef bouillon

1/2 teaspoon crushed dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried basil

Cook the onion, garlic, and sausage in a skillet over medium heat until lightly browned. Transfer to a crock pot. Pour in broth. Mix in cabbage, carrots, celery, rice, beans, tomato sauce, and crushed tomatoes. Add remaining seasonings. Bring to a boil. Cook on high 3-4 hours or low 6-7 hours. (Until vegetables are tender and rice is cooked.)

Maple Teriyaki Glaze

I can't believe that it's been months since I posted! I have so many things that I wanted to post here, but never got around to it. Not today! This dinner from last night has to be shared! I made Maple Glazed Salmon and it was so yummy! You can definitely use this sauce on chicken, shrimp, tofu, beef or pork too, so the possibilities are endless! Feel free to double the recipe.


1/2 cup apple juice
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1-2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp ground ginger

Add all ingredients to a small skillet and simmer for 10 minutes to reduce. Spoon over grilled salmon or the meat of your choice. Done!

*If you want a thicker sauce, you could add a teaspoon of cornstarch mixed in a little juice at this point and boil until thickened.

*You can use this as a marinade for your meat, and then boil it down while your meat is cooking.