Spicy Peanut Sesame Noodles

I needed a quick meal the other night after flying in from DC but did not have much in the line of fresh produce in my fridge. However, a quick survey of what I did have resulted in the below meal. Not the lowest-fat meal, but quick and easy and extremely satisfying.

• 8 ounces asian noodles (such as udon or rice noodles)
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced, for garnish
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, for garnish

1.     Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water until done. Drain.

2.     Meanwhile, heat oil in a small pot. Add ginger; cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Mix in peanut butter, soy sauce, water, vinegar, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Stir until melted and remove from heat.

3.     Toss noodles with sauce, garnish with green onions and sesame seeds, and serve.

Tempeh Bacon

I have to say it....I miss bacon. I miss bacon in the morning and I really miss a good BLT for lunch. I have heard about tempeh bacon but was never sold on the idea that anything could replace the real thing. That being said, the other day I had some leftover slices of tempeh laying around so I decided to give it a shot. Final verdict? It tasted nothing like bacon. As soon as I got over my disappointment (luckily I had not allowed myself too much hope that it would be a comparable substitute) I realized I actually liked it. The tempeh had a nice flavor and was surprisingly satisfying for breakfast, served with oven roasted tomato and some whole wheat toast.

Tempeh Bacon

 Ingredients:
1 8-oz. pkg. tempeh, sliced into 24 very thin slices
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ancho chile powder
2 tsp. liquid smoke, optional
1 Tbs. canola oil
Smoked paprika, optional

Directions:
1. Lay tempeh slices in 2 13- x 9-inch baking dishes. Bring soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, cumin, ancho chile powder, and ½ cup water to a boil in small saucepan. Boil 1 minute, then remove from heat, and stir in liquid smoke, if using. Pour over tempeh slices. Let cool, then cover and chill 2 hours, or overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 300°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Carefully transfer tempeh slices to prepared baking sheet, and discard marinade.
3. Brush slices with canola oil, and sprinkle with paprika, if desired. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Flip tempeh slices, brush with oil, and bake 5 to 7 minutes more, or until crisp and dark brown.