Vegetable Peanut Noodles

For a healthier pasta option, try gluten-free and vegan edamame or black bean pasta. This budget-friendly meatless meal is high in both protein and fiber. I discovered this stuff last year and haven't looked back since. It is the best pasta substitute I've found. The only ingredient is beans and they are loaded with protein and fiber, both of which help slow digestion and keep you satisfied. One single serving provides double the fiber (11 grams!), triple the protein (24 grams!!!), and half the carbohydrate content (21 grams) compared to traditional pasta. Yes, these beans are still processed in a sense, but they are literally just the whole bean, ground down and re-shaped into pasta. I'll take that over the stripping away of almost all nutrients a kernel of wheat offers to produce traditional pasta varieties.

The secret's out - I love bean noodles. I'll let you in on another secret too...I absolutely adore peanut butter. The more meals and snacks I can incorporate peanut butter into, the happier my taste buds. I make it my healthy fat source in as many dishes as humanly possible - sweet, savory and everything in between. This week, I made an awesome savory peanut sauce to go with my veggie and noodle stir fry. Read on and try out this recipe - if you like Asian peanut sauces and noodles, you will not be disappointed! As a bonus, this recipe contains loads of colorful, nutrient rich veggies, as well as ginger and garlic, which are great for digestion.

Vegetable Peanut Noodles
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
For the pasta:

• 10 oz edamame or black bean spaghetti (I used edamame pasta in these photos)
• 2 tsp olive oil

For the peanut sauce:

• 3/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup coconut aminos (you can also substitute this for Braggs liquid aminos or low sodium soy sauce)
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 3/4 cup natural peanut butter (use chunky if you like a little texture in your peanut sauce)
• 1 tsp chili garlic sauce (most Asian chili sauces or pastes will work well. This doesn't add much spice, but you can choose to skip this)
• 1/4 tsp salt

For the vegetables:

• 2 teaspoons coconut oil
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin coins
• 2 small (or 1 large) heads broccoli, cut into bite size florets
• 2 large red bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
• 8 ounces snap peas, strings removed
• 2 medium zucchini squash cut into thin coins
• 8 oz mushrooms, quartered
• 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 3 garlic cloves, minced

Toppings:

• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup raw or roasted peanuts, chopped
• 1-2 limes sliced into wedges

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta: Fill a large pot about 1/2 full with water and bring to a boil. Add the noodles to boiling water and cook 4-5 minutes until al dente. Drain the pasta, set aside in a bowl and toss with 1-2 tsp coconut oil to prevent noodles from sticking together.

2. Make the peanut sauce: in a small bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients.

3. Prep and stir fry veggies: Heat the coconut oil in a large pot or wok over medium heat. Add broccoli and carrots and cook for 3 minutes. Next add bell peppers, snap peas, zucchini and mushrooms. Cook, stirring every couple minutes, until the vegetables are tender - about 5 additional minutes. Mix in the garlic and ginger and cook 1-2 more minutes or until fragrant.

4. Add in the sauce and noodles: Pour peanut sauce over veggie mixture and stir frequently for about 5 minutes until sauce has thickened a bit. Remove pot or wok from the heat and toss noodles in with veggie peanut mixture.

5. Serve and enjoy! Portion out a serving of the veggie peanut noodles and top with peanuts, green onion and squeeze lime wedges over the top. This is great just off the stove or eaten cold for lunch the next day!