Peanutty (FREE) Noodles

Last year, I attended a teachers' workshop at a local bookstore, and we were able to browse a table of newly released books and help ourselves to two - one for kids and one for adults. For my children, I picked up a wonderful collection of seasonal poems by Julie Andrews, and for myself, you won't be surprised, I took a cookbook. It's a wonderful collection of recipes that attempts to use healthy, seasonal foods that are kid-friendly, both in terms of ingredients and the ability of kids to help out in the kitchen. It's a great book, and I use it at least once or twice a week.

Exactly my kind of book. The only problem was that, like so many cookbooks for kids, there are a great deal of recipes that call for nuts or nut products. Usually, I skim over them without giving them a second thought. However, I found myself craving Thai food the other day, something we haven't eaten since we found out that C was allergic to peanuts. In this cookbook, there was a very simply Thai dish  for peanut noodles. I challenged myself to alter it in a way that would work best for my family. IT WAS AMAZING. Everyone had two bowls, and I even brought some to V, whose children also have nut allergies, and I am awaiting her verdict. Here's my version of Peanut-FREE noodles!!

For the sauce:

1 c. sunflower butter
1/2 c. soy sauce
2/3 c. warm water
3 tbsp. ginger, chopped (or 3 tbsp. ginger paste, found in your produce section)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. honey
3 tbsp. rice vinegar

For the noodles:

1 c. EACH shredded broccoli stalks, carrots, and red cabbage (or if you live near a Wegmans, a bag of broccoli slaw)*
1 lb. of your favorite pasta (I used fusili)


In a blender, combine all of the sauce ingredients. Puree until smooth. Cook the noodles. When they are al dente, drain and place in a large bowl. Toss in the vegetables. Pour the sauce over everything. Mix and enjoy!

* Feel free to use ANY shredded vegetables that you like. Some of the recommendations in the book also included cucumbers, apples, and scallions. I simply took the easy way out. I bough the broccoli slaw ;-)
**Oh, and to make it a more substantial dish, you can cut 1 lb. of boneless chicken breasts into small, 1 in. cubes. Sprinkle with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper and saute until cooked. Add above!