COLD PEANUT NOODLES WITH TOFU AND RED PEPPERS

The first time I ate Pad Thai was when I first became a vegan and ate at a Vietnamese restaurant. I kept asking the waitress if she was sure there was no cheese in it. It was the creamiest dish ever. It is a wonderful substitute for those bv (before vegan) cheesy pasta dishes. This recipe is a cold version of Pad Thai, but you can certainly eat it warm like I did. This is a fast recipe that can be made ahead. Try eating Asian foods with chop sticks - it makes it that much more enjoyable. Instructions can be found on the internet.

30 MINUTES
4 SERVINGS

1/2 pound firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1/4 cup plus 2 tbs soy sauce
3/4 pound thin eggless linguine
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 tbs rice vinegar
3/4 tsp Chinese chile-garlic sauce
1 tbs chopped fresh ginger
1 garlic clove
3/4 tsp Asian sesame oil*
2 large red bell peppers, thinly sliced
3 large scallions cut into 2" lengths and julienned
Cilantro sprigs for garnish, if desired.

In a large bowl, toss the tofu with 2 tbs of the soy sauce
and let stand for 10 minutes.

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the linguine
and cook until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water.
Shake out excess water and add the noodles to the toful and
soy sauce.

Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of soy
sauce with the peanut butter, stock, rice vinegar,
chile-garlic sauce, ginger, garlic and sesame oil and
puree until a smooth sauce forms. Pour the peanut sauce
over the noodles, add the sliced red bell peppers and
scallions and toss.

Recipe from Grace Parisi, Food & Wine, July 2007

Wine: Nutty zesty Orvieto Classico

The difference between regular sesame oil and dark sesame oil
is the seeds are roasted first then pressed for the dark oil.