Delicious Discoveries - Cold Sesame Noodles

The 2012 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival made a decision to highlight vegetarian and vegan options with a kiosk this year. Of course, that doesn’t mean that there haven’t been options in previous years to choose from or cook in your own home. Aileen M. Sheehan-Wilson is back with a vegetarian option for our Delicious Discoveries segment!

Hey Everyone!  I am back with a vegetarian dish that has been at the China kiosk of the Epcot Food & Wine Festival in years past. When we started looking for recipes to make at home this month, we wanted something that would be quick and simple but also tasty and filling. The Cold Sesame Noodles definitely filled the bill.

COLD SESAME NOODLES
Ingredients

½ Pound Spaghetti
2 Cups Napa Cabbage (shredded)
1 Cup Red Bell Pepper (thinly sliced)
1 Cup Snow Peas (thinly sliced)
½ Cup Chicken Broth
¼ Cup Peanut Butter
¼ Cup Tahini
2 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar
2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp. Fresh Ginger (grated)
1 Tbsp. Sugar
½ Tbsp. Fresh Garlic (grated)


Directions

Cook pasta al dente, per package directions.
Combine chicken broth, peanut butter, tahini, rice vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and sugar in a large bowl, whisk until smooth.
Drain cooked pasta and stir into sauce.
Add cabbage, bell pepper, and snow peas, toss to combine.
Refrigerate 4 hours or until chilled.

This is a very easy dish to make.  In fact, the most difficult part was waiting for the flavors to come together in the refrigerator. All of the ingredients were easy to find in our local grocery store.  The only thing that may be completely new to you is the sesame paste, which is also called tahini.  This ingredient is usually found in the condiment section or in the international foods section of your supermarket. Unfortunately, if you can’t find it, I do not think it is something that is easily replaceable in this recipe.  As for the vegetables and type of noodles, I do think you could use whatever you enjoy most.  We chose to use the vegetables that were specified in the recipe but switched out the noodles for whole wheat spaghetti, which worked wonderfully. 

This is a great side dish or a full meal and definitely gets better the more it absorbs the flavors of the sauce.  The only thing I felt was missing was some spiciness, which I remedied by adding sriracha (a spicy chili sauce that’s a cross between hot sauce and ketchup).  I think this could be a great addition to your weekly recipes and for all of those of you with kids, I think most of them would love it!