Thai Peanut Noodle

When I first started cooking vegan meals, I would cook a vegan meal, cook meat on the side, then add the two together on my husband's plate while leaving mine unaltered. My husband had no qualms about letting me know how butt hurt he was that I'd do such a thing (he originally didn't like my new sans meat lifestyle), nor was he quiet about how his animal carcass wasn't as flavorful when not cooked with the rest of them meal (especially pasta dishes).

Lately, I've been experimenting on my dinners to try and alleviate that issue. With fajitas it's quite easy, as I've always cooked the meat and vegetables separately. But tonight, I made a marvelously delicious meal that was just as amazing for my omnivourous counterpart as it was for me. Don't let this recipe intimidate you! It's incredibly easy. Here it is:

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 2 cups          low sodium vegetable broth
• 2 tbs            soy sauce
• 1/2 cup         rice vinegar
• 3 tbsp          all natural peaut butter 
• 2 cloves        pressed (or minced) garlic
• 1 tsp             minced/shredded* ginger
• 2 cups          broccoli florets
• 1/4 cup        chopped green onions
• 8 oz              fettucini pasta 
• 1/2 lb            diced chicken breast
• Sesame oil to taste (optional)

Directions:

1: Place fettucini pasta (break in half if you like smaller noodles) in a large pot with water, and boil until al dente.

2: Meanwhile, place first three ingredients (veg broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar) into a separate pot and bring to a boil. Add ginger, garlic, green onions, and peanut butter. Lower heat, and continue simmer.

3: Drizzle a bit of sesame oil into a frying pan (I use about 1/2-1 tsp), add 1 tsp of peanut sauce, and heat. Add broccoli, and cook til soft on the outside, about 3-4 minutes.

4: Drain pasta. Add sauce and broccoli, and toss while in the pot. If you are adding chicken, proceed to step 5. If not, skip right ahead to number 7.

5 (optional): Drizzle a bit more sesame oil (I use about a tbsp for chicken) into the broccoli frying pan. Saute chicken 5-6 minutes, until no longer pink (if you have a Food Thermometer, make sure the internal temp is at least 165°F).

6 (optional): remove pasta from heat, and split into two giant portions. Toss chicken in with one of the portions.

7: Garnish with green onions. Serve piping hot, and enjoy!

*Note: Instead of chopping the ginger/onion, I actually like to use the fine-shred section of my cheese grater. Much faster, and it really brings out the juices!