Peanut Sesame Noodles Over Crispy Kale

Gluten Free. Vegan. Soy Free and Low Carb Version Available.

This past weekend Billie and I were lucky enough to be able to get our families together for lunch, which doesn't happen very often right now.  I needed something fast but fun, so in celebration of some better weather (finally!) I broke out this tried and true recipe that never disappoints.  I served it with avocado slices drizzled with sesame oil and tamari, and everyone went away satisfied!

This is a super versatile dish full of flavor that the whole family can enjoy. My kids (the pickiest eaters EVER) even eat these noodles with smiles on their faces and steamed broccoli on the side which makes me super happy! As a bonus, it also makes for a lovely table presentation if you are hosting a dinner or lunch - everyone will think you spent hours on it when it really only involves about 30 minutes in the kitchen. 

I love to serve this dish over a bed of greens - here I used our Crispy Kale recipe.  You can make the noodles ahead of time if you want- they taste just as good at room temperature or even cold as they do hot. I used 100% buckwheat soba noodles since our guests were gluten free, but you can also use lo mein or even brown rice spaghetti noodles instead and it will still be fabulous!

Feel free to change up the veggies to match your taste and with the seasons. Bell peppers, snow peas, or zucchini would all be nice choices here as well.  

Peanut Sesame Noodles (PRINT RECIPE) (PRINT GLUTEN FREE) (PRINT ANTI-INFLAMMATORY)
Serves 4

Ingredients:
8 ounces lo mein noodles**
Small head broccoli, cut into florets
1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks
½ cucumber, cut into matchsticks
1/3 cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari/gluten free soy sauce/coconut aminos
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Cook noodles according to package directions.  Add broccoli florets for last 2 minutes of cooking time.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together peanut butter, water, maple syrup, rice vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, tomato paste and sesame oil until it is smooth and creamy.
3. Add the cooked noodles and broccoli to the sauce and mix until everything is well coated.
4. Sprinkle the carrots, cucumbers and sesame seeds on top.

**If you are gluten, dairy, soy free and low carb, try out Ant-Inflammatory Version - we substitute shiritaki noodles or zucchini noodles instead of soba noodles or lo mein. 

Enjoy and let us know what you think!
~Jennifer