Broccoli Noodles with Peanut Sauce

Broccoli Noodles with Peanut Sauce is a nourishing vegetarian main dish meal that serves two to three.  The red pepper flakes make it hot and spicy, but can be left out for a milder version.
Tonight, I made it for my husband and I with ramen noodles, but the soba (buckwheat) noodles taste good too, are a healthier choice, and are gluten-free.
Enjoy!

Broccoli Noodles with Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:

8 oz. dry ramen, or soba (buckwheat) noodles

4 cups fresh broccoli florets

1 cup canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
Salt and pepper, to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)

Peanut Sauce:

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup orange juice

Juice of 1/2 lime

2 tsp. maple syrup

1 Tbsp. soy sauce, or tamari sauce

1 tsp rice vinegar

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced

Instructions:

1. Cook noodles according to package directions.
2. While the noodles are cooking, blend all the peanut sauce ingredients together.
3. In the last 2 minutes of cooking time, add broccoli and garbanzo beans to pot of noodles, and continue to cook.  Drain.
4. In a large bowl, combine peanut sauce with drained noodles, broccoli, and garbanzo beans.
5. Season with salt, pepper, and optional red pepper flakes.

Kitchen/Nutrition Note: Adding orange, lime, or lemon juice (Vitamin C) to bean dishes, helps the body absorb iron and protein more easily.

Alaskan Summer

The long and beautiful Alaskan summer days are finally here.

The honey bees love this Miss Kim dwarf lilac.  It was a Mother's Day gift from my sons and husband 15 years ago.

The rugosa roses bloom at the same time as the Miss Kim lilac, so the garden smells heavenly right now.  In Alaska, we call the Rugosa Shrub Rose a Sitka Rose.  A prettier sounding name, don't you think?

Garden Chives - so good in salads.

In the kitchen, fresh sauteed beach asparagus is such a treat.

Saute together:

Several handfuls of fresh beach asparagus

A cup of fresh, sliced mushrooms, stems removed

1/2 cup chopped garden chives or yellow onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tbsp. butter
Garlic powder and salt, to taste

Doors wide open!  It's 75 degrees today.  A hot day for Alaska, and inside the cottage.

It's 7 o'clock in the evening.  The sun will set behind the mountains in a couple hours.

I hope you enjoyed this little home and garden tour.  Come again soon!