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Friday, September 30, 2011

Peanutty Noodles with Spinach and Cucumber



OMG, you guys. I just came across this recipe while browsing Hello Giggles, my recent obsession btw. As I read through it, I realized I had ALL of the ingredients in my kitchen! My tummy started growling and I knew just what to do!


(recipe copied from hello giggles-- click on over for much better pictures than mine!)
http://hellogiggles.com/peanutty-noodles-with-spinach-and-cucumber


Peanutty Noodles with Spinach and Cucumber

serves 2 as a dinner with leftovers
hands-on time: about 15 minutes
total time: 20 minutes

What you’ll need:

1 package of spaghetti 
1/2 of a cucumber, cut into 1 in long strips
few handfuls (2-4 cups) of torn fresh spinach
oil of your choice (I suggest canola or sesame but whatever you’ve got will be fine)

for the sauce:
3/4 cup of broth (chicken or vegetable)
2 tbsps soy sauce
2 tbsps rice vinegar
1/2 cup of low-fat peanut butter
1 tsp of fresh garlic
glob of honey
powdered ginger to taste

1. Put the pasta in the boiling water and then start chopping the cucumbers. You can do them julienne, but I just kind of hacked them into strips on this particular night and it worked fine; I like this recipe with the cucumber skin on, but peel them first if you want.
2. Place the cucumbers in the bottom of a large bowl and drizzle on a teensy bit of oil.
3. Tear the fresh spinach and put it on top of the cucumbers, covering them.
4. Assemble the ingredients for the sauce and place them all in a blender; blend on a low setting. If it seems a bit watery, add in another finger-scoop of peanut butter and blend again.
5. Once the pasta is finished cooking, drain it and then quickly dump all of it on top of the spinach and the cucumbers in the bowl. Make sure all of the vegetables are covered. The idea is that the heat of the noodles steams the spinach a little bit.
6. Leave the bowl for about 4 or 5 minutes. Pee, file your nails, teach your dog how to give paw, whatever.
7. Return to the bowl. The spinach should be just wilted. Stir so the vegetables and pasta are mixed, then pour on the sauce and stir again.
8. Garnish with whatever you’d like; I used cilantro, but green onions, sesame seeds, or actual peanuts would be good, too. No garnish is also fine. Oh, and you’ll most likely have leftovers!



This bowl is seriously so tasty and simple! Basically just boil the noodles, chop some cucumber, and mix the sauce. I just subbed a couple things: whole wheat spiral noodles instead of spaghetti noodles and agave instead of honey. Plus you will be very full afterwards...



And sorry for the terrible quality cell phone pictures!

Friday, September 2, 2011

Birthday Cupcakes

Well, it's that time again... That time where I'm all like "it's been a while." Haha I don't know what it is, but sometimes I just abandon my blog.

This time, it started when I couldn't find my camera battery charger. I must have lost it sometime during my move in June and I still can't find it! So my camera is dead... sad day! And I've been super lazy about finding a new charger for it. I suppose I could find something on amazon, a camera website, or somewhere on the internet. Oh, technology!

Also, my computer is currently being fixed right now. I've been taking some pictures from my phone, but nothing in detail. I'll probably post some new stuff soon with really crappy un-edited cell phone pictures. Get ready! Haha



My birthday was last weekend and Scott got me these cute little vegan cupcakes from a local cupcake shop called Whipped Cupcakes. They'll make you some vegan cupcakes if you call in and order them. So awesome! They even have vegan cupcakes available in the store on weekends. And let me tell ya, they're DELISH!