Stir Fry Sesame Beef Noodles

I am addicted to these sesame noodles and adding steak and bell peppers gives it a little something extra.  This tasted amazing and was simple to make.  I love getting to use my wok since I don't use it often enough.  Stir fries are quick and easy but the key is to prep first.  I already had pre-sliced bell peppers to dip with homemade hummus.  The leftover stir fry sesame beef noodles also tasted great!  Enjoy!

Stir Fry Sesame Beef Noodles

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

½ pound beef sirloin steak, cut 1 inch thick

½ pound linguine pasta

¼ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 cup red and/or green bell peppers, sliced

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Place steak in freezer.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain well.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sugar, garlic, rice vinegar, sesame oil, vegetable oil and ½ the sliced green onions. 

Cut the cold steak across the grain into thin slices.  Toss with sesame sauce.

In a wok (or large skillet) on medium-high heat, add in ½ the sesame sauce with beef and bell peppers.  Cook for 5 to 7 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Continue to stir while cooking. 

Add in linguine pasta and stir in remaining sesame sauce.  Cook for 1 minute. Top with remaining green onions.  

Serves 2 to 4.

Simple Linguine and Clam Sauce

Sorry, I haven't had to cook in so long!  I have been out of town for over a week.  First I went to a bachelorette party and we had a great weekend in Ocean City and Dewey Beach.  It was so great seeing some of my college friends.  It was like living in my sorority house again :)  Next I was in Phoenix for a week to host a training event for work.  I had a good time even though it was 110 degrees!  Also, I went to a Diamondback game against the Mets; the baseball stadium is enclosed and air conditioned in Phoenix!  That is genius, it definitely made the game more enjoyable!  I will have to write another post about all the places I went out to eat at, they have some great restaurants in downtown Phoenix.  When I got home, I had to attend a wedding of a family friend the next night.  It has been crazy this month!  So now that I am finally home and settled, I had nothing in my fridge to eat so I had to figure out something from the pantry.  I had all the ingredients to make this simple linguine and clam sauce.  It was delicious and the best thing to make after a long trip.  

Here is a picture of the view from my seats along the 3rd base line inside Chase Field, the "indoor" baseball stadium in Phoenix.  Pretty cool right?

Now on to the food...

Simple Linguine and Clam Sauce

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

½ pound linguine pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons white wine (I used Chardonnay.)

1 can minced clams, drained and juice reserved

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon parsley

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

mozzarella or parmesan cheese (optional topping)

 

Directions

Cook linguine according to package directions.  Drain well.   Place cooked linguine back into pot.

 

In a small pan, over medium heat, add oil, butter, wine, clam juice, garlic, and parsley.   Stir and simmer for about 5 minutes.

 

Add clams and pepper.  (I didn’t add salt since the clam juice is salty.)

 

Pour clam sauce over pasta and toss to mix.

 

Top with shredded mozzarella cheese or parmesan cheese.

 

Serves 2 to 4.

My dogs already really missed me and I felt really bad leaving Ellie when she was sick too.  But she is now all better and following me around still.  Here is Buddy waiting in the hallway/kitchen, yup my suitcase is still in the hallway.

Here is Ellie waiting patiently in the dining room while I cook.  She can keep on eye on me when I'm in the kitchen.

Sesame Noodles

I could not eat enough of these sesame noodles!  I ate two bowls :)  This recipe is so easy to make and only took me about 20 minutes to put together including cooking the pasta.  These sesame noodles would make a great side dish but you could add some chicken or other protein to make it a main dish.  The sesame sauce is so addicting too, you need to make this dish ASAP!  I also used toasted sesame oil from Trader Joe's but you could also use regular sesame oil.  You should be able to find most of the ingredients in your regular grocery store or asian market if not.  Feel free to add a little chili oil if you want some kick to the noodles.   Enjoy!

Sesame Noodles

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound linguine pasta

¼ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain well.

In a bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sugar, garlic, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and vegetable oil. 

Pour sesame sauce over warm noodles.  Toss to coat.  Top with green onions and toss to mix.

Serves 4 to 6.

Simple Peanut Noodles

I bought a jar of Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter recently and a recipe for Peanut Pasta Twists was on the lid of the jar.  Of course, I changed up the recipe and came up with this one.  It turned out pretty good and only took me about 15 minutes to put it all together (including cooking time for pasta).  These simple peanut noodles would be great as a side dish or as a main dish if you want to add in the optional ingredients to make it more hearty.  For those with peanut allergies, maybe you can substitute with Barney Butter (almond butter), SunButter (roasted sunflower seeds), or soy nut butters.  Just be sure to check labels for anything processed on shared equipment or in the same facility as peanuts.  This dish is great served warm or cold too.  Enjoy!

 

Simple Peanut Noodles
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

½ cup creamy peanut butter (I used Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter.)

¼  cup ketchup

¼ cup warm water

1 tablespoon soy sauce

½ tablespoon rice wine vinegar

½ teaspoon sesame oil

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ pound dry pasta, cooked (I used linguine.)

Optional Ingredients

red bell pepper, diced

sesame seeds, toasted

scallions, sliced

cucumber, sliced

firm tofu, diced

chicken, cooked and shredded/diced

Directions

In a bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, ketchup, water, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and garlic powder until well blended.

 

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well.

 

Toss hot pasta with peanut sauce until evenly coasted.   Garnish with optional ingredients if desired.

 

Serve immediately warmed or serve chilled. 

Make Ahead Tip: Refrigerate for up to 2 days. To serve, stir in 2 tablespoons warm water per portion; serve cold or reheat in microwave.

Serves 2 as main dish or 4 as a side dish.

Top with some roasted sesame seeds.

Easy Spinach and Clams Linguine

I made this yummy pasta dish for dinner tonight.  It was easy for me since I had already roasted a dozen roma tomatoes over the weekend.  This is also simple to make on a weeknight since you don't need too many ingredients.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 pound dry linguine pasta

16 ounces spinach, washed

6.5 ounces chopped clams in clam juice (reserve juice)

4 or 5 roma tomatoes, roasted and chopped

4 or 5 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated

3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

For the tomatoes:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Cut tomatoes in half.  In a bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper and halved tomatoes.    Line a baking sheet with foil and place tomatoes cut side up.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. (You can make this ahead of time and refrigerate.)

For the pasta:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain pasta.

For the spinach:

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet/pan on medium high heat.  Add garlic and sauté for about 1 minute.  Add the spinach to the pan.  Use a spatula to turn the spinach over in the pan to coat with olive oil and garlic.  Continue to do this until most of the spinach is coated.  Cover the pan and cook for 1 minute.  Uncover the pan and turn the spinach over again.  Cover the pan and cook for an additional minute.  The spinach should be completely wilted after cooking for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and place into another bowl with the excess liquid.

Meanwhile, in the same large skillet used to cook the spinach, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat.  Add the chopped clams and roasted, chopped roma tomatoes.   Add the reserved clam juice.  Add in the spinach with excess liquid.  Add the cooked pasta.   Add the parmesan cheese and toss to combine.  Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6 or 2 with leftovers for lunch tomorrow :)