Saturday, April 14, 2012

Weekend Cooking; Random


It's been a good week for cooking at my house.  I had minimal after school meetings or obligations and actually made it home in the 4-5:00 range every day. Teenage Boy's soccer game (usually on Thursdays) was too far away making it possible for me to pick up Groovy Girl Thursday afternoon because I knew she'd be lugging her violin home.

Monday after school I whipped up a stir fry using these ramen noodles and a bunch of random veggies (orange pepper, celery, carrots, spinach) I picked up for under $7 at this Co-op plus onion and garlic.  Once the noodles were in hot water and the veggies were steaming in my wok I whipped up this peanut sauce:

Quick Peanut Sauce

3 T. unsweetened peanut butter
2 T. rice wine vinegar
1 T. chopped cilantro 
1 plump garlic clove, minced 
2 tsp. soy sauce or to taste
1 tsp. light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. chili oil
Salt

Combine all the ingredients except the salt, adding 2-4 T. warm water to make it the consistency you wish.  Add 1/4 tsp salt and then taste. 

I didn't have any cilantro on hand but I have a potted basil plant on my kitchen table-I used that instead and it worked fine.  I also substituted chili paste for oil and added some drops of olive oil to it.  Once I combined the noodles with the veggies in the wok I poured about 1/2 the peanut mixture on top and tossed like a salad.  I saved the other half to add to my husband's and my plates.  

Groovy Girl ate three bowls but some of her veggies were left at the bottom.  Oh, well.  This was my first experience using these noodles and I thought they were wonderful, hearty and firm, and nothing like the bland noodles that come with a pkg of the quick ramen we think of in those tiny square packages.


My baking with out sugar experiment:

 I tried these honey cookies which turned into bars and the kids turned their noses up at them.  My husband, my stepfather, my mom and I loved them!  I probably won't make them again but it was nice to try something different.  I also tried to use less sugar in every day cooking this week, like when I made pancakes Wed. morning, I added honey instead of the tablespoon of sugar the recipe called for.  


This post is linked to Beth Fish Reads Weekend Cooking.  Click the link to read many other food-related posts.  Happy Eating!

9 comments:

Heather S-G said...

Your stir-fry looks fantastic. I love it when noodles are involved in stir-fry's for some reason. And I always adore things with peanut sauce, so I guess I'm going to have to give this a try!

jama said...

Yum, your stir fry looks good!

I have a friend who uses several packs of dried ramen to make something similar when she's in a hurry. She boils the noodles, chops up whatever veggies she has on hand, and uses the seasoning packets that are in the packages when she stir fries everything together. A quick yaki soba in a pinch!

Joy Weese Moll said...

I love peanut sauce. That was the secret to getting us to eat cooked greens!

Libby said...

Anything with noodles and peanut sauce has got to be fabulous! Your pic looks delish. :)

(Diane) bookchickdi said...

I've never made peanut sauce, I should try that.

caite said...

I never made peanut sauce either...and I am going to try this. sounds easy and delicious.
and then of course there are noodles..I love noodles.

Heather said...

My sister has used honey in her baking for years. He father in law kept bee for decades so she has always had multiple jars of honey in the cupboard. It does take practice to get the hang of it.

Beth F said...

I love peanut sauce (although I have to make mine with Sunbutter). "Real" raman noodles are so much better than the 15-cent packs. Glad you discovered them.

Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanity said...

I've recently discovered agave nectar--have you tried that as an alternative to honey/sugar?

The peanut sauce sounds amazing!! Maybe for dinner tonight!