7 Minute Peanut-Lime Noodles

I made this recipe for lunch today. It was so quick to cook that the longest part was bringing the water to boil and cooking the noodles. Depending on the type of noodles you are using you could probably cook the whole meal in less than 7 minutes.

Another fantastic thing about this recipe is that it is pretty much "no measure." As long as you get the ingredients in roughly the right quantities it will work well. If you want the sauce slightly thicker don't add as much water, if you want it thinner do the exact opposite. Realistically it's pretty hard to go wrong on this one!

7 Minute Peanut-Lime Noodles

2 teaspoon peanut oil, divided

1 clove garlic

1 chili pepper

1 cm (about a 1/4 inch) piece of fresh ginger

2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter

2 teaspoons soy sauce

Juice of 1 lime

250 ml (1 cup) water

250 grams (8 oz) noodles (soba, udon, whole wheat linguine, etc)

chopped vegetables (peppers, mange tout, bok choy, broccoli, mushrooms etc.)

pinch of sesame seeds

1 spring onion chopped

In a large pot, boil enough water to cook the noodles. Cook the noodles for the time listed on the package. Drain the noodles and run cold water over them.

While the noodles are cooking, dice the garlic, pepper and ginger. In a small pot saute the garlic, pepper and ginger in 1 teaspoon of peanut oil for 2 minutes. Add the peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice and water and stir until everything has blended. Bring sauce to a boil and then turn off heat.

Chop the vegetables into bite sized pieces. Using the same pot the noodles cooked in, heat a bit of peanut oil and saute the vegetables for 2-3 minutes. Pour the peanut sauce and noodles into the vegetables and heat through.

Serve with sesame seeds and spring onions

Serves: 2

Cooking time: 5-10 minutes

Prep time: 2 minutes

Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta Fazool)

Normally I'm a pasta purist. I only eat white pasta because that's what my mom made and what my grandmother made. I've always tutted at my friends that they insisted that whole wheat pasta is so much better. But a few days ago one of my colleagues was saying how much he likes whole wheat pasta with just olive oil on it and how it is much more filling than white pasta. Since he tends to be pretty health conscious, I decided that I would try making something with whole wheat pasta. Then I got to thinking. Many of the popular pasta sauces were once upon a time "peasant food" and apparently the peasants also would have used whole wheat because the refined, white, flour was reserved for the aristocrats. So I decided I would make a hearty peasant pasta fit for the present.

Pasta e Fagioli (or Pasta Fazool depending on who you ask)
1 bag whole wheat pasta
150 grams of pre chopped prosciutto (or 6 slices of bacon cut into 1/4 inch strips)
1 onion chopped
4 cloves of garlic chopped
2 cans of cannelini beans rinsed
2 cans of chopped tomatoes
1 yellow pepper chopped
2 sprigs of rosemary
olive oil to taste (at least 5 tablespoons)
Salt and pepper
Parmesan Cheese to taste

Put a large pot of water on to boil.

In another heavy pot fry the prosciutto, onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes. Add the rinsed beans, and the canned tomatoes to the prosciutto mixture. Add the chopped pepper and the rosemary to the tomato sauce. Add olive oil to the sauce until you get the desired texture. Allow the sauce to simmer.

Add the pasta to the boiling water. Cook according to the directions on the package

When the pasta is cooked, strain in and add the sauce. Top with cheese and more olive oil if desired.

This recipe serves 4, makes great left overs and cooks in under 20 minutes

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10-20 minutes