Peanutty Pasta Salad
Serves 4, 3/4 cup each

Ingredients
1/4 cup reduced fat peanut butter
2 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/4 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound dry noodles (your choice)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup blanched peas

Preparation

• Mix the peanut butter in a large bowl with the soy sauce, lemon juice, sesame oil and ginger. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook, stirring constantly until the water returns to a boil, according to the package instructions.
• Scoop the noodles out of the pot, drain and place in the bowl with the peanut butter mixture.
• Add 2-4 tablespoons hot pasta water to loosen up the sauce.
• Add the vegetables and toss well. Let cool. Cover and refrigerate.

Cook’s note: Soba noodles are an excellent choice for this recipe. Soba noodles are native Japanese noodles made of buckwheat flour and wheat flour.