warm sesame noodles

i am a huge sesame noodle fan. it’s usually my back up meal when i am eating alone. it’s quick, it’s good, and when it’s hot out, it’s the perfect meal.

the free time i do have during the day is spent online (sad i know, but it’s not that much time). last week dara from chick in the kitchen posted a recipe for bok choi and sesame noodles. i was intrigued and of course checked out the recipe.

i was in. last week was hot and to top it off, i was testing new recipes…

this one is a keeper. you can spice it up by adding chili peppers or even just hot pepper flakes. i added some hot sesame oil to the dressing which gave it a little heat, or if you want you can just keep it tame and not add any heat at all. have veggies you prefer? use them. kale or broccoli would be an excellent addition to this as well as tofu or even grilled chicken. get creative and have fun.

warm sesame noodles adapted from stout oak farm

for the noodles

1 vidalia onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 zucchini sliced into half circles
2 handfuls of spinach
handful or so of chopped cilantro
1/2 pound spaghetti

for the dressing

2 tsp rice vinegar
4 tsp soy sauce
3 tsp honey
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp hot sesame oil (you could just add a chili pepper while you are cooking above)

boil your water and cook your pasta, set aside when done in to a medium to large mixing bowl. in the meantime prepare your veggies and dressing.
in a saute pan add olive oil and heat. to the pan add your garlic and onion and cook until onion starts to soften, about 2-3 minutes. add zucchini and cook for another 5 minutes. finally your spinach, saute and cook for another 2-3 minutes until wilted.
while you are cooking your veg, combine all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk.
when pasta is cooked and veg is ready, combine everything into the bowl and give it a mix.
this would be the time to add your cilantro. mix a small amount in and then sprinkle on top of each bowl when you are serving.

i could tell you is was great cold but we finished it in one sitting it was a great meal at the end of a very hot day.