It’s been awhile since I’ve posted something especially delicious. This has been partially because I’ve been going out to dinner many consecutive nights with Felicia, jetting around the country/world, or eating lots of pasta in preparation for my marathon. As a result, my meals, when I’ve made them, haven’t been especially groundbreaking. This week that has all changed. (And of course, by groundbreaking, I mean that I made them, and they tasted good. Baby steps, people.) First, I made my healthy soup even MORE groundbreaking with the addition of red chili flakes. Omg. Yum. I will be full of joy when lunchtime arrives so I can have more. Then, last night, I put my own twists on a dish from Cook Yourself Thin that turned out super delicious.
My mom bought be this book, which initially might seem *slightly* offensive, but it wasn’t for two reasons. First, she knew I was embarking on the weight loss challenge, so she figured I could use some healthy recipe inspiration. Second, my family actually knows one of the authors, which is super exciting and totally mitigates any trace of “I think you really could afford to cook yourself thin, Megan.”
I have made a few recipes from here by now, and I am a pretty big fan. They are all pretty easy to make, and the calorie count is included! The only thing that I don’t love is that the recipes usually are for six or even eight people, which seems kind of crazy. I feel like most people trying to “cook themselves thin” do not need to make enough food for eight people. But luckily I am a proficient divider, so I am capable of reducing the recipe accordingly.
Last night, I halved some stuff (pasta) and not others (broccoli slaw). When all was said and done, it made about four generous servings. My cousin Mary Kate was over and she expertly made the dressing. If I do say so myself, this turned out amazingly well. I definitely will be making it again, especially since I now have all of the unusual (for me) ingredients like sesame oil and rice vinegar. I also have a super snazzy picture of the finished product that I’ll add if I can ever make my computer work.
Peanut Sesame Noodles (adapted from Cook Yourself Thin)
Serves 4
Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 1-2 teaspoon Frank’s Red Hot or other hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 lime
- 1/2 cup hot water
For assembling:
- 1/2 bag store-bought broccoli slaw mix
- 4-6 oz. cooked whole wheat spaghetti
- 1 small chopped red pepper
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 lime, squeezed
- 1/4 cup apple
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- 4 scallions, julienne
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta, and cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and run under cold water.
- To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients into a small mixing bowl and stir together with a whisk. Add half of the dressing to the pasta and toss. Stir in the broccoli slaw mix, red pepper and cilantro. Squeeze a half of a lime over the mixture, and toss.
- Add the remaining ingredients, toss and refrigerate for 30 minutes to one hour.
- While mixture is refrigerating, chop chicken into bite-sized pieces and stir fry in remaining dressing. Let cool, then top noodles with chicken.
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