Peanut Butter Pasta

Fettucini
1-2 broccoli, cut into florets
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
3-6 carrots, sliced
2 T. olive oil
Peanut sauce (see below)

1. Start heating water for pasta and make the peanut sauce.
2. Start cooking pasta and saute vegetables in the olive oil. They should still retain a little crunch when done.
3. Pasta and veggies should be done around the same time. Drain pasta and dump the two together.
4. Serve pasta and veggies and pour sauce on top.
   

Notes:
I've also used red bell pepper or peas, depending on what's in season.

This seems to work best in leftovers if you keep the sauce separate until you eat it. Otherwise the sauce dries out.


Peanut sauce

1/2 c. peanut butter
3 T. sesame oil
3 T. soy sauce
3 T. rice vinegar
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 T. cilantro
1 T. red pepper flakes

1. Mix peanut butter with sesame oil
2. Mix in soy sauce. Mixture will turn brown and change consistency to be thicker.
3. Mix in vinegar. Mixture will lighten and change consistency again, this time thinner.
4. Slowly mix in chicken broth. If you do it too fast, you get chunky sauce. Add only a little at a time.
5. Mix in cilantro and pepper flakes.

Notes:
For spicier sauce, add more sesame oil and more pepper flakes.

This recipe assumes non-natural peanut butter (like Jiff or Giant Eagle brand). Honestly, I haven't quite got the consistency right using natural peanut butter yet. I'd make it with the bad stuff the first time so you can get the idea how it should taste. Once I get the recipe right using natural peanut butter, I'll post it. So far, I've had luck by using less vinegar, less soy, and a lot of sesame oil. I also have to add more broth to thin it down properly. I suspect it will work better still if I add some peanut oil.