Cold Sesame Noodles

Sorry for the absence for the last few weeks. I've just gotten sidetracked with life lately. Recently though, I began to abstain from eating meat, so that's been a fun and interesting challenge this month. It's something I've wanted to try doing for a long time now, and have started by abstaining for the entire month. If all goes well, I might be doing this on a more permanent basis.

While I haven't made these sesame noodles since I changed up my diet, it's a meal that's great for leftovers, vegetarian or not.

I've made a few different versions of these noodles over the years, and this recipe is my favorite because it incorporates nuts and also has some greens in it for balance.

I think I enjoy the noodles more after a day or two, since that's when the peanut butter flavors really seeps into the noodles. Delish! They're easy to make, too.

Cold Sesame Noodles
Adapted from So Hungry I Could Blog

Ingredients:
• 1/8 cup toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy, based on preference)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 pound whole-grain linguine (for low cal version, try Tofu Shirataki noodles! Pat dry first.)
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced celery stalks
• 1/2 cup chopped celery leaves, plus 1 cup whole or torn celery leaves
• 1/2 cup nuts, peanuts or cashews

Directions:
Mix together sauce ingredients: Sesame oil, soy sauce, peanut butter, lemon juice, honey, ginger and garlic until smooth. Set aside. Cook pasta according to instructions. Drain and cool for 10 minutes. Mix pasta and sauce together. Garnish with nuts, celery stalk and greens. Serve warm or cold.

Side note: If any of you have any vegetarian recipes recommendations, please let me know! (I'm still eating seafood for the time being, so that can be included as well.)