Noodles.  How can anyone not like noodles? I fully admit, I’m a sucker for good noodle dishes, and once I stopped overcooking soba noodles, they have become a real favorite. I can make them a little like a stir fry – make a sauce, lightly cook up some vegetables, maybe add some nuts on top – and you have dinner. Or lunch, but usually dinner.

I looked around at a lot of recipes – I wanted something spicy but maybe a little sweet. I wanted peanut for some reason, but not a heavy peanut sauce. I read a lot of recipes, but when it came to making dinner, I decided to just wing it. After all, if it doesn’t work, we’ll just order pizza.

So I started with what I had in the fridge. Snow peas, bean sprouts (was going to make pad thai and I changed my mind), carrots, yellow pepper, scallions. Amounts … here is my best guess:

• 2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
• 3 scallions, white and light green parts
• 1/4 yellow pepper
• one handful bean sprouts
• 2 handfuls snow peas

Ok, that works for the vegetables. Canola oil to cook them in – have that. Now for a sauce. Here is what I went with (Bob had me write it down as soon as we finished dinner – he really liked this one):

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
• 1.5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon honey

Cook the noodles slightly less than the package says – I went with 2 minutes. drain and run cold water over to stop the cooking.

While the water boiled I chopped and then quick sautéed the vegetables (not the bean sprouts) – about three minutes cooking. Once the noodles were done I added them to the pan and tossed everything in the sauce. Add the bean sprouts, toss again. Done.