The last few days of school are pretty tough on teachers, so I wanted to get this posted in case I end up spending the next few nights on the couch instead of blogging. Luckily I've got some of these delicious sesame noodles in the fridge to get me through it! When I read on Everything Rachel Ray about how Madeline used whole wheat spaghetti to make spicy sesame noodles, I told her I would be making this dish. I love Madeline's blog, even though I think this may be only the second time I've ever made a Rachel Ray recipe. I know the uber-successful and bubbly Ms. Ray has her critics, but personally I think RR deserves a lot of credit for inspiring a whole generation of young women to cook at home. So hat's off to Rachel for this quick, easy, and absolutely delicious recipe, and I do see why Madeline says this is one of her favorites.
One thing that bumped the recipe out of my huge "must try" pile and on to my kitchen counter was the incredible find of Garofalo Organic Whole Wheat Spaghetti at Costco. I looked at it a couple of times before I invested in a pack with 9 pounds of whole wheat spaghetti, but now that I've tried it, I know I'll be buying more. (Edit - I at Costco last night and it's actually 8 pounds of spaghetti for about $10.) If you haven't had good luck with whole wheat pasta, I guarantee this Italian whole wheat pasta will change your mind. (It's from Italy. Need I say more?) Wikipedia explains what "whole wheat" flour means, and for anyone who's concerned about the glycemic index, whole wheat bread or pasta is always a better choice. The World's Healthiest Foods site also does a good job of explaining why whole wheat is so nutritious. Since you can write about any herb, plant, veggie, or flower for Weekend Herb Blogging, and wheat is definitely a plant, this is my entry for the week, being submitted to Wandering Chopsticks. Check the Rules for Weekend Herb Blogging and where to send your entry if you'd like to participate.
Whole Wheat Sesame Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce(Makes about 4 servings, recipe adapted slightly from Rachel Ray's Hot and Cold Sesame Noodles, which were mentioned in this post on Everything Rachel Ray.
1/2 lb. whole wheat spaghetti
1/2 tsp. salt, added to water for cooking pasta
1/4 cup Tamari (or Soy sauce of your choice)
1/4 cup natural (low sugar) peanut butter
2 T rice vinegar (not seasoned)
1 T sesame oil
1 tsp. Sriracha or other hot sauce (the original recipe used a lot more, so use as much as your mouth can handle)
2 cups shredded napa cabbage (original recipe used coleslaw mix, which would be great in this)
1 cup (or more) sliced sugar snap peas (next time I might also add some shredded carrots or thinly sliced red pepper for color)
3 scallions, cut in thin diagonal slices
2 T sesame seeds (I used black sesame seeds, but white ones would also be good)
Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil, then add spaghetti and cook until barely al dente (The spaghetti should still be slightly chewy. I cooked this pasta not quite 9 minutes.) Drain spaghetti into a colander placed in the sink, then rinse with very cold water and let drain well.
While spaghetti cooks, combine Tamari or soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and hot sauce in a large plastic bowl. Heat peanut butter in microwave for 10-15 seconds, then whisk it into the other sauce ingredients in the bowl.
Thinly slice cabbage (or remove 2 cups coleslaw mix if using that) and slice snap peas and green onions. Put sesame seeds in a small frying pan on the stove, ready to be toasted when the dish is done.
When spaghetti is well drained, add noodles and veggies to the bowl where you combined sauce ingredients, and toss to combine and coat noodles with sauce. Toast sesame seeds for 1 or 2 minutes over high heat (only 1 minute for black sesame seeds) and sprinkle over noodles.
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South Beach Suggestions:
Made with whole wheat spaghetti, this is a perfect dish for phase two or three of the South Beach Diet or any Low-Glycemic eating plan. (You could also use Dreamfields Low Carb Spaghetti, but the whole wheat spaghetti was really flavorful in this dish.)
While spaghetti cooks, combine Tamari or soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and hot sauce in a large plastic bowl. Heat peanut butter in microwave for 10-15 seconds, then whisk it into the other sauce ingredients in the bowl.
Thinly slice cabbage (or remove 2 cups coleslaw mix if using that) and slice snap peas and green onions. Put sesame seeds in a small frying pan on the stove, ready to be toasted when the dish is done.
When spaghetti is well drained, add noodles and veggies to the bowl where you combined sauce ingredients, and toss to combine and coat noodles with sauce. Toast sesame seeds for 1 or 2 minutes over high heat (only 1 minute for black sesame seeds) and sprinkle over noodles.
South Beach Suggestions:
Made with whole wheat spaghetti, this is a perfect dish for phase two or three of the South Beach Diet or any Low-Glycemic eating plan. (You could also use Dreamfields Low Carb Spaghetti, but the whole wheat spaghetti was really flavorful in this dish.)
More Bloggers Who've Raved Over Whole Wheat Pasta:
(Recipes from other blogs may not always be South Beach Diet friendly, check ingredients.)
Whole Wheat Pasta with Chicken Sauce and Portobello Tomato Sauce from Christine Cooks
Whole Wheat Angel Hair with Browned Butter and Mizithra Cheese from Pinch My Salt
Whole Wheat Pasta with Roasted Vegetables and Olives from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
Whole Wheat Pasta with Cauliflower, Walnuts, and Feta from Smitten Kitchen
Whole Wheat Pasta with Grilled Vegetables from The Leftover Queen
Whole Wheat Pasts with Cauliflower, Walnuts, and Ricotta Salata from Cook, Eat, Fret
Baked Whole Wheat Pasta Casserole from 101 Cookbooks
Whole Wheat Pasta with Lentils, Leeks, and Spinach from The Slow Cook
Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Almond Pesto Sauce from Cafe Fernando
Whole Wheat Pasta Arrabiatta with Arugula from Culinary in the Country
Want even more whole wheat pasta recipes?
I find these recipes from other blogs using Food Blog Search.
35 comments:
Hmmm. SOunds great except that I don't like peas. I'm thinking edamame instead?
Blest, fabulous idea to use edamame in this. The original recipe didn't use the snow peas, but that's what I had in the fridge!
What do you think of Dreamfield's Healthy Carb living pastas?
Mindy, I've recommended Dreamfields Pasta many times, and I mention it as an alternative in this post, after the recipe. I think Dreamfields pastas are fantastic. However, in this specific recipe I personally would prefer the whole wheat pasta because the added nuttiness from the whole flavor really works here. If you don't have whole wheat spaghetti though, I'd definitely still make this with Dreamfield's spagetti.
Love the new look of your blog! And this recipe looks great. I think I will add some red pepper for fun and color. Great idea!
How much do I love sesame noodles? Never thought to use whole wheat - will from now on. Thanks!
BTW, I've been recommending your blog to almost all my patients who ask about how to lose weight - I recommend South Beach or weight watchers and then point them to you for recipes.
I've always loved peanut sauce and combining it with sesame noodles sound like a delightful combination ;)
I share your feeling about Rachael Ray--if she gets people in the kitchen, I think that's a good thing. I actually really like her magazine and find lots of good recipes in there.
By the way, my parents are on a big weight loss project (using Weight Watchers) and I've passed along your site to them--I think they'll find plenty of inspiration here!
love love love the new header! and this pasta looks awesome!
Sorry. I was so busy drooling over the actual recipe I didn't read the post thoroughly. I can't wait to try this. Your recipes have never let me down.
Maria, I know what you like and I think you'd love this!
TBTAM, thank you! It's kind of fun because my own doctor recommends my blog to his patients who want to lose weight. He even went on South Beach himself after he watched me do it.
Noobcook, loved this one.
Erin, agreed, I think Rachel does a lot more good than a lot of the famous food celebrities. Thanks for passing on the blog name to the parents. (Sigh, your parents are probably about my age!)
Katy, thanks. That Rand is pretty talented.
Mindy, no problem! (I'm such a blog skimmer myself.) Hope you like it. And thanks for the recipe feedback.
I tried a RR recipe last week that was really good. I don't like watching her, but I do like trying some of her ideas. This looks good. Hope school is winding down well!
This is the kind of go-to recipe that every cook should have in his/her repertoire. And, while I don't make many Rachael Ray recipes, I agree with the sentiment that if she gets people into the kitchen to cook instead of going out for junk food, that's a plus.
This looks fabulously delicious, my friend.
j
I like cool pasta salads like this. Though I usually use soba noodles.
noodles are a very easy quick dish to prepare - kids love them
I love to use black sesame seeds to garnish or top my noodles or dishes, too. Somehow black ones are so much more interesting than the white sesame seeds, don't you think?
I agree about RR, she needs to be given some props for all the inspiration she gives to home cooks. As for the recipe, I've just bookmarked it:),
Pam, two days and counting. I stayed late last night and got a lot done!
Lydia, I think this is my new go-to recipe when there's nothing for dinner!
Jasmine, thanks.
Kevin, I've had soba noodles but haven't cooked them. They would be great with this sauce.
Mediterranean kiwi, agree completely.
Rasa Malaysia, I love, love the black sesame seeds, so photogenic!
Dani, hope you like it.
I love this. I'm bookmarking it.
I agree Kalyn about RR.
This dish looks great too.
I love the use of wheat, much healthier...
What do you think of Dreamfield's Healthy Carb living pastas?
I've always loved peanut sauce and combining it with sesame noodles sound like a delightful combination ;)
thank you thank you
Hi,
the recipe looks great, will surely give it a shot. I was also on SBD for 2.5 years & lost 60 lbs. And I think site like yours can really make life so much easier for people on SBD. I have your site listed on my Blogroll.
Keep the goodness going.
I could just eat the peanut sauce by the spoonful!
Aparna, hope you will enjoy it.
Sue, I loved it. (Ate it for four days straight and wasn't tired of it!)
Johnna, if you shop at Costco, look for this spaghetti. It's really fantastic.
Zayiflama, it was great. I already commented about Dreamfields above.
Mingle, thanks for the nice feedback.
Susan, me too. (I'm already thinking of other things I could use this sauce on.)
i'm DEFINITELY making this dish this weekend....
and thanks for the mention. your blog is as always, a great source and a virtual public service..
This looks dreamy! I love the color contrasts, and I bet it tastes outstanding. I bet this would be a hit at a potluck luncheon. Yum!
I'll have to check my local Costco for the whole wheat pasta as this sounds yummy!
that looks super, just the kind of thing I like to eat!
Cook eat fret, thanks for the nice feedback on the blog, and do try this one, it's fantastic.
Paula, it was good cold, so I think it would be perfect for a pot luck, and inexpensive too.
Mrsl, need to edit my post because I saw it there last night and it's 8 packages, not 9 like I was thinking (but under $10 for 8 packages of imported spaghetti. My Costco also has white spaghetti for the same price.)
David, thanks. Me too, I love Asian flavor combinations like this, and this is such a versatile recipe.
Mmm, I love whole wheat spaghetti, it is so much more chewy and "there" than white.
You would not believe how often I make asian noodles, they are a fave for me. I think that I might make your sesame noodles tonight. Mmmm.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Kalyn! Now you have me craving it again....
And you are definitely right about RR - I always tell people I never cooked anything that wasn't out of a box or the freezer before she inspired me to actually use my kitchen.
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