If you’ve been feeling blah about the official arrival of fall this week, I have a lovely and easy recipe to make you feel every shade of happy about the shift of seasons and the new produce it brings.
{Related: Never sure what’s in season when? Grab my free seasonal produce calendar right this minute!}
Today’s recipe is a simple dish of noodles dressed in a peanut sauce, and tossed with garlicky kale and sautéed mushrooms.
It is the kind of vegan dish that feels satisfying and savoury. One you can serve to conventional omnivores without them complaining about being fed rabbit food; one that you will look forward to when you go home to make it on a weekday night and suddenly realize that, wow, the days are getting shorter fast.
These peanut noodles with kale and mushrooms taste vibrant and rich, they are nourishing and well-balanced, and they also fit easily into a busy schedule. You can have it ready in about 30 minutes start to finish, and you can break down the preparation by preparing the sauce and sautéing the vegetables the day before, and cooking the noodles the day of.
These days, the noodles I like to buy — the ones pictured in this post — are organic rice noodles flavored with turmeric from Autour du Riz, and the bright yellow color does help with morale.
As a bonus, if you make a full recipe of these peanut noodles for four but there’s just two of you at home, you can divide what’s left into handy lunch boxes, and take it to work the next day. I like to eat the leftovers cold as a salad, but they reheat well in the microwave as well.
Oh, and spoiler alert, this fine dish of peanut noodles with kale and mushrooms is one of the recipes featured in the vegetarian batch cooking plan for fall that I am preparing for you! Very excited to share this with you soon — stay tuned.
For My Friends Down Under
I’m sure you’re feeling great about the arrival of spring! Celebrate with this Greens and Walnut Quiche.
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons all-natural unsweetened peanut butter
- The juice of 1 organic lime
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or fish sauce
- 400 grams (14 ounces) dry noodles of your choice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 150 grams (5 1/3 ounces) kale, about 4 stalks, center stem removed, leaves sliced into ribbons
- 400 grams (14 ounces) brown mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
Instructions
- In a small bowl, thin the peanut butter with the lime juice, whisking until smooth. Whisk in the sesame oil and soy sauce. Stir in a little water as needed to get a pourable sauce, creamy and not too thin.
- Cook the noodles according to package instructions, and drain when cooked.
- In the meantime, in a large skillet, heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil, add the kale and mushrooms and garlic, and cook 4 to 5 minutes, until softened.
- Add the vegetables and peanut sauce to the noodles, and toss to combine. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve.
Notes
- The peanut sauce can be made up to a day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
- The kale and mushrooms can be cooked up to a day ahead. Cover, refrigerate, and reheat before serving.
- If there are leftovers, I like them cold as a salad the next day.
