Peanut Butter Noodles (vegan)

Recipe from From My Bowl  
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen
Makes 4 servings

The sauce for this dish is spot on. It tastes fabulous in this dish, but would also make a nice dip for spring rolls or drizzled over nourish bowls. 

 
8 ounces dried udon noodles or 12 ounces fresh or other pasta (I used rice noodles.)
¼ cup creamy natural peanut butter (I used a Tablespoon of natural peanut butter and then I made up the rest using PB2 and water.)
1 clove garlic crushed (optional)
1 Tablespoon low sodium tamari or soy sauce plus more to taste
1 Tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon brown sugar agave, or maple syrup
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce sambal oelek or sriracha
2-3 Tablespoons hot water

Prep: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the udon noodles according to the package instructions; dried noodles will take around 8-12 minutes while fresh noodles take 1-2 minutes. Drain, but do not rinse.

Make the Sauce: In a small bowl combine the peanut butter, garlic, tamari, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, and chili garlic sauce. Whisk together until a thick paste forms, then add 2 tablespoons of hot water and whisk until a thick sauce forms and the sugar has dissolved. Add more water if necessary, but keep in mind that the sauce will thin out more when combined with the noodles.

Combine: Return to the pot or a shallow pan. Pour the peanut sauce over the noodles and use tongs to mix well, until every noodle is coated. The residual heat left from cooking the noodles usually warms them up enough for me, but you can also gently heat the noodles over medium low heat if desired. Add additional soy sauce to taste, as necessary.

Serve: Top with green onion, crushed peanuts, and/or chili oil and serve warm. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days and are best reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water to help thin the sauce out again.

Notes: Gluten-Free: Udon noodles are not gluten-free but you can easily substitute them with rice noodles! Use tamari instead of soy sauce to keep this recipe gluten-free.

Additions: edamame; mushrooms; scallions; tofu; broccoli; red bell pepper, etc…

Nutrition
Calories: 321kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 1315mg | Potassium: 117mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 0.1IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg

Copycat Oil Free Heavenly Hunks Oats (Vegan)

Servings: Yield: 25 bites 
Recipe from Whole Food Momma
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Here's a little treat to have in the afternoon with a spot of tea.  Make these on a day when you're doing other food prepping.  Then, you can check off your snack-making for the week.

Dry Ingredients

1 1/2 cups rolled oats 
1 cup oat flour 
1/3 cup almond flour 
1/2 cup coconut flakes 

Wet Ingredients
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 
1/2 cup maple syrup 
1/2 cup powdered peanut butter mixed with 1/4 cup water 

Mix-Ins
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips and/or dried fruit (raisins, dried cranberries, etc.)

Line a 8" x8" baking pan with parchment paper. (Be sure to leave an overhang for easier lifting of the contents later.) Add the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Mix well.  Add the wet ingredients. Stir until fully mixed. (If the mixture seems too dry, add a touch more melted coconut oil.) Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour mix into pan and use spatula to press down firmly into the pan until flat and even. Pop the pan into freeze. Leave the pan in the freezer for 8-10 hours or overnight. To remove from baking pan, run warm tap water over the bottom of the pan to loosen the edges of the batter. Then using the parchment, gently pull the mixture out of the dish. Use a chef knife to slice into 25 cubes. Run the knife under hot water before each slice to help cut the frozen hunks.

Place the frozen "hunks" in a freezer-safe container.  Store them in the freezer and remove the portions a few minutes before serving.  

Nutritional Information: (1 of 25 "hunks) 84 calories; 2.7 g fat (1 g sat. fat); 0 mg cholesterol; 16 mg sodium; 13.6 g carbohydrates; 1.5 g fiber; 5.9 g sugars; 2.5 g protein

Chocolate PB2 Overnight-Mason-Jar Oats

Adapted from Dishing Out Health

Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen

Makes 4 Servings (Each serving is ½-pint jar or 1 cup)

Overnight-Mason-Jar Oats not only make a good breakfast, but also a good grab-and-go healthful snack.  Using Mason jars for meals is a good way to keep portions in check.  The recipe below is one of my favorite ways to make them.  You can substitute chopped apples or unsweetened applesauce for the banana.  You can add ground flax seeds.  You can also add fresh or frozen berries.  Just be sure that your additions or substitutions are healthful. If you begin adding refined, processed sugars, then you will be in candy-store territory. Not good!  If you must sweeten your oats, then do so with fresh, in-season fruit, dried fruit, local honey or 100% real maple syrup in moderation. I think using a really ripe (blackish) banana and  a few raisins makes this plenty sweet enough.  Using fresh and dried fruit adds fiber to your oats.

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

4 Tablespoons Chocolate PB2

2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk (You can use dairy milk or unsweetened plain almond milk.)

½ cup plain yogurt (I like use plain 2% Greek yogurt.)

1 large very ripe banana, mashed

2 Tablespoons raisins (You can use any dried fruit here.  Raisins, dates, or prunes will help sweeten the oats.)

Mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl until smooth.  Distribute evenly between four 8-ounce jars (or other containers) with tight-fitting lids.  Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 5 hours or overnight before eating.  Overnight-Mason-Jar Oats can also be assembled and then frozen, if desired.  Thaw in fridge overnight before eating.

**By my calculations, each serving of my version is about 288 calories. (The original recipe below uses artificial sweetener which I didn’t wish to use.  So, I’ve sweetened my oats by using a ripe banana and a few raisins.  Adding banana and some raisins ups the calorie count, but also adds fiber.)

(Original Recipe) Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

Serves two

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 cup unsweetened vanilla or plain almond milk – sub for milk of choice

¼ cup 0% fat vanilla or plain Greek yogurt

2 Tablespoons Chocolate PB2

1 Tablespoon cocoa powder

1 teaspoon Stevia or sweetener of choice

Combine all ingredients in a mason jar or Tupperware container. Mix well.  Refrigerate overnight or for at least 6 hours before serving. Enjoy cold or warmed up.

Nutrition Facts per Serving (1/2 of recipe)

Calories: 215; Total Fat: 4.5 gm; Saturated Fat: .5 gm; Cholesterol: 2.5 mg. Sodium: 138 mg; Carbohydrates: 35 gm; Fiber: 5.5 gm; Sugar: 4 gm; Protein: 11 gm

Cold Peanut Sesame Chicken and Cucumber Salad

Recipe from SkinnyTaste Fast and Slow by Gina Homolka

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Serves 4

We thought this was a scrumptious salad that made a great light supper.  I think this is company worthy because not only is it tasty, it’s also pretty, especially when the salad is placed on a platter of fresh greens.  Double the recipe, have some for dinner and pack the remaining salad for your workweek lunches.  By using powdered peanut butter instead of peanut butter, the fat content of this recipe is reduced.  Powdered peanut butter is made by pressing peanuts to remove most of the fat and oil content.

Peanut Dressing:

2 Tablespoons water

¼ cup powdered peanut butter (I used PB_2.)

2 Tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce

1 ½ Tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 Tablespoons unseasoned brown rice vinegar

1 Tablespoon honey

1 Tablespoon Sriracha sauce

1 medium garlic clove, peeled and smashed

1 Tablespoon grated or minced fresh ginger

Salad:

2 English cucumbers (I used 2 regular cucumbers, peeled and seeded), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

8 ounces cooked chicken breast, shredded

½ red bell pepper, finely chopped

½ yellow bell pepper, finely chopped

2 scallions, thinly sliced or ¼ small red onion, minced

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds (I used black sesame seeds.)

Spring lettuces, baby spinach or other tender greens (Optional, but I think it’s a great addition.)

Combine all the dressing ingredients in a blender or small food chopper and process until well blended.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, toss together all the salad ingredients except the sesame seeds.  Pour the dressing over and toss the salad again. 

Line a platter with the lettuces or greens.  Using tongs, place the salad over the greens.  Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve.

Nutritional Information: (per serving) 231 calories; 8.5 g fat (1.5 saturated fat); 48 mg cholesterol; 17 g carbohydrates; 3.5 g fiber; 23 g protein; 10 g sugars; 438 mg sodium

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