Thai Peanut Shrimp Pasta

You may have noticed that one of the labels in the left-hand column is "Simple Meals." A simple meal to me is something that can be thrown together in about a 1/2 hour. A simple meal is something healthy, quick and delicious that you'll want to prepare on a weekday night. Since I work full-time and Mr. Food Whore works and goes to school, we don't have lots of time or energy to prepare dinners. For that reason, I love simple meals. Here's another one of my favorites.

This is a delicious, flavorful meal that can be served as a hot pasta dish or cold over mixed greens as a salad. I've prepared it both ways and cannot decide which is my favorite.

Ingredients
1/2 box of whole wheat linguine
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 head of broccoli, chopped
1 bunch green onions
1 1/2 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 jar sweet and spicy chili sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp tahini
1/3 cup crushed peanuts
1 tbsp black sesame seeds
fresh cilantro

1. Boil the pasta and set aside.

2. In a wok or large skillet heat a little olive oil and 1/4 cup of sweet and spicy chili sauce. (The sauce is found on the ethnic foods aisle with the other Asian sauces). Sautee the shrimp over medium-high heat.

3. Toss in the peppers and onions and continue to sautee for a few more minutes. Add more chili sauce if needed. In a food processor, finely chop the carrots into tiny pieces. Stir into the shrimp and veggies.

4. Toss in the cooked linguine and broccoli. Turn heat down a bit and sautee.

5. To make the sauce, I used a food processor, but a blender would also work well. Combine peanut butter, soy sauce, tahini, 1/4 cup chili sauce, and 1/4 cup cilantro. Blend well. (Tahini is also found on ethnic foods aisle. It is similar to peanut butter.) Pour suace over pasta and mix well.

6. Top with crushed peanuts and sesame seeds before serving.

To prepare this dish cold, remove from heat after briefly cooking broccoli. Add sauce and chill in the fridge. Mix in shredded napa cabbage and serve over mixed greens.

Serves 4

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore