Spicy Peanut Noodle Vegetable Salad

Recent familial circumstances have initiated an interest in the notion of a "heart healthy" lifestyle in the Trash Salad kitchen.  I realize I'm very late to the party when it comes to focusing on low-sodium/sat fat foods, but I do so love my salty cheeses and cured pork products.  So it's something I didn't really want to think about until, you know, I had to.  Which by proxy, I do now.

Did you know that February is American Heart Month? I really admire the PR person who came up with this cleverly timed public-awareness opportunity.  The AHA website has lots of interesting and accessible articles about nutrition, exercise, and warning sign recognition as well as a great risk calculator for the scientists among us who need to slap a number on a situation in order for it to become a reality.

Nutritionally, this is going to be an ongoing research product on my part, and something rather new for me since I've only ever paid attention to calorie and fiber counts on nutrition labels (what? I'm still under 30 and more concerned with short term impacts).  From what I can gather so far, salt and animal fats are no bueno, though I'm sure there is more nuanced information to be gleaned here.

The Spicy Peanut Noodle Salad recipe from Serious Eats jumped out at me as a good entry point into vegan heart-healthy cooking since it has a LOT of flavor, little of which is added from salt.  The original recipe as written had such a kick, I needed a box of tissues nearby to plug the nasal faucet.  And this was for someone who finds eggs benedict unsatisfactory without a healthy dose of Sriracha.  So take it easy with the chili sauce at first, and maybe cut back on the hot peppers if you're especially sensitive.

Otherwise I made it a little more ingredient-flexible and you can certainly mix up the vegetables for whatever you have on-hand.  For a full meal, this would be great topped with grilled tofu or chicken. Pretty great actually for my first consciously-vegan effort, and I can't believe I'm actually looking forward to more in the future.

Spicy Peanut Noodle Vegetable Salad
Adapted from Serious Eats

Serves 4-6 as a main (much larger than pictured here), 8-10 as a side
Total time: 30-45 minutes (all active)

• 8 oz (225g) dried noodles (I used rice noodles here, but you could substitute any including linguini/spaghetti, whole wheat or otherwise) 
• The dressing:
• 1/2 cup (135g) chunky natural peanut butter (natural meaning one ingredient, no salt/sugar/fillers added, substitutions include tahini, sunflower seed butter, or any nut butter [just check the ingredients])
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1-3 tablespoons chili garlic paste (or Sriracha or other chili sauce with one clove of minced garlic, just check the sodium levels), more or less to taste
• juice from 2 limes (about 2-3 tablespoons) or rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seed oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, honey, or maple syrup
• a few tablespoons warm water (optional)
• The vegetables:
• 2 large red, orange, or yellow bell peppers, sliced into thin strips
• 1 large cucumber, sliced into thin half moons
• 1-2 large handfuls mung bean sprouts
• 1-2 large handfuls of fresh basil, mint, or cilantro leaves
• 5-10 scallions, finely chopped
• 2 jalapeño peppers, seeds and ribs removed, minced
• 1/2 cup (50-80g) roughly chopped nuts for garnish (optional)

While you are chopping the vegetables, cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside while you make the dressing.

In small bowl, combine peanut butter, soy sauce, chili sauce, lime juice, sesame seed oil, and sugar.  Whisk until homogeneous and add a splash of warm water if the mixture seems too thick.  Taste the sauce and adjust accordingly (depending on how juicy your limes are, you may need to add more sugar here).

Add noodles to a large bowl and pour over the small bowl of sauce.  Add bell peppers, cucumber, bean sprouts, basil leaves, scallions, and jalapeños. Toss to combine. Serve topped with chopped nuts, if using.

Repurposing Leftovers: Trash Noodle Soup

This dish was inspired by a lonely little container of rice noodles leftover from a Thai food order that I discovered in the fridge.  Noodles can sometimes be incorporated into stir fry situations if they're in good condition, but these were at least a week old and had congealed into a sort of stringy brick that would definitely not have held up to a frying pan.

The solution?  A brothy soup to rehydrate the noodles into an edible form, while delivering a delicious and healthy dinner.  This isn't really a recipe so much as a rough ratio of ingredients and flavoring suggestings since I don't think I've ever made this the same way twice.  And as I write it out, it's not unlike fried rice in it's basic components and adaptability.  The version pictured is miso/hot and sour flavored with tofu, cabbage, edamame, and some rehydrated black fungus I bought in Chinatown ages ago, though this dish certainly doesn't need to have asian flavors or ingredients if that's not what you have on hand.

Here are a few winning flavor combinations:

• for bastardized minestrone: use 1 cup of white/kidney beans, 1/2 can of diced tomatoes in juice, a small chopped zucchini, fresh spinach, splash of red wine, oregano, basil, and finish with parmesean cheese
• for simple, rustic, and healthy: sautee 1/2 a thinly sliced onion and 2 cloves of garlic before heating broth, use 1 cup of cooked chickpeas, a few handful of shredded green cabbage, and finish with a drizzle of tasty/expensive olive oil
• for cheaters' thai: substitute half of the broth with a can of coconut milk, use shredded chicken or tofu chunks, mushrooms and red peppers, season with 1 teaspoon or so of green curry paste, fish sauce (start with 1/2 tablespoon), a lime wedge, and fresh cilantro
• for quick and dirty pho: simmer broth with whole star anise and a cinnamon stick, serve hot broth over noodles and thinly sliced raw beef, and garnish with basil, mint, bean sprouts, and sriracha
• for salty, hot, and sour (or the Chinatown special, a personal favorite): use rehydrated shiitake, black fungus, or seaweed, tofu chunks, frozen edamame pods, and green onions, seasoned with 2 tablespoons of miso paste mixed with an equal amount of warm water, a big squirt of Sriracha or other chile paste, and 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar

The only caveat I would add is do make this in small batches since it's best when eaten right away.  If it sits, the noodles keep absorbing more and more moisture until they completely disintegrate to turn your soup into a gelatinous mass of starch and veg.  Quick-cooking rice noodles are especially susceptible to this.  If you wanted to do a noodle soup lunch the next day, just keep the broth/meat/veg mixture separate and heat it with the noodles right before you eat it.  I know, I know, that makes two separate containers to wash and that's the worst.  But isn't it worth it for a (very nearly) free lunch?

Trash Noodle Soup

Serves 2-4
Total time: <10 minutes

• 4 cups (1L) low-sodium stock or broth
• 1 cup quick-cooking or pre-cooked protein (small chuncks of tofu, poached and shredded chicken, shrimp, and even white beans would work great)
• 1-2 cups quick-cooking or pre-cooked vegetables, chopped (edamame, scallions, small broccoli/cauliflower florets, mushrooms, tomatoes, green beans, sprouts, cabbage, greens, or rehydrated random ingredients from Chinatown)
• seasoning (see above)
• 1-2 cups dry leftover noodles

Heat broth to a boil while you chop and assemble the rest of your ingredients.  Add protein and veg to simmering broth and cook 5 minutes or until heated through.  Add seasoning to taste.

When you're ready to consume: break up the noodle mass with your hands as much as possible and add to the broth.  Heat and stir until separated and resembling noodles, and serve immediately.

Trash Mac and Cheese

Image via Whole Foods

Every so often I forget that it is a bad idea and stop at the supermarket before I've had dinner.  This inevitably leads to ridiculous purchases that I wouldn't think to make with a normal blood sugar level.

Most recently, this purchase was a box of 365 Organic Shells and Cheese.  I hear you. "Ew! No! Over-processed crap!"  That may be, but the list of ingredients wasn't too appalling, and I later learned that this particular brand had triumphed in several internet taste tests.  Apparently the zeitgeist of late 2009 was processed mac and cheese comparisons.

The best thing about this purchase was all of the flashbacks I had to my college cooking days where everything was "make more with less in less time."  You can gussy up prepared mac and cheese from a box with any number of extra bits you have lying around in no time at all, which generally can serve to assuage your guilt over eating it in the first place.

Some of my favorite trash boxed mac additions include:

• sliced roasted red pepper
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 bunch of sauteed greens with a few cloves of garlic and red chili flakes
• halved cherry tomatoes
• can of water-packed tuna
• few tablespoons of capers
• diced scallions

And some themed trash mac options:

• for some south of the border flair:  few tablespoons of sliced black olives, 1/2 a diced green chile, with 1-2 tsp chili powder, dollop of salsa
• for added brightness:  zest of a lemon and fresh herbs (basil, coriander, chives, or parsley)
• for when you're not entertaining:  cut up hot dogs or sausages, few tsp mustard, tablespoon of ketchup
• for a taste of Scandinavia:  1-2 oz smoked salmon, fresh dill
• for a restauranty meal:  1/4-1/2 cup of a strongly flavored cheese (like sharp cheddar, gorgonzola, or blue), crumbled cooked bacon, topped with 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs and baked until browned

Last week's dinner variation included frozen peas, kale, capers, cloves of mushed roasted garlic, a scallion, and red chili flakes.  I probably could have gotten away with at least three fewer ingredients, but why only go halfway?

I should mention that you really need to use the kind with white and not yellow cheese if you want your dinner to look more delicious and less like vomit.  Unless you are going for the hot dog/mustard/ketchup combo in which case all bets are off anyway.