Nadia's Spicy Cold Soba Noodles

This can be made peanut-free.  To make a peanut-free version, replace the peanut butter with tahini and the peanuts with sesame seeds.

INGREDIENTS

Dressing:

1/3 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp molasses
1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp grapeseed (light) oil
3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp peanut butter
2 Tbsp Sriracha or chili paste

1-12oz package Soba noodles

4 green onions (sliced)
2 cups red cabbage (shredded)
1 red bell pepper (thinly sliced)
¾ cup carrot (shredded)
1 cup broccoli (sliced thin)
¼ cup cilantro (roughly chopped)
1 cup cooked chicken (shredded) (optional)
¼ cup peanuts (chopped)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook soba noodles according to package directions. Rinse with cold water and drain well.

2. In large bowl, mix all of the ingredients for the dressing together.

3. Add the cooked noodles and all of the vegetables and chicken.

4. Mix until combined and sprinkle top with the peanuts.

Nadia's Easy Vegetarian Chow Mein

Easy Chow Mein, courtesy of Nadia.

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 tsp fresh ginger (minced) or ½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp sesame seed oil

Soba or Udon noodles
2-3 Tbsp grapeseed oil

1 cup celery (thinly sliced on a bias)
½ medium onion (sliced thin) or 4-5 green onions
½ head (2-3 cups) of green (purple, savoy or napa will work too) cabbage (shredded)
2 carrots (shredded or thinly sliced)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook noodles according to the package. Rinse in cold water and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and red pepper
together and set aside.

3. Heat oil in a Wok and sauté vegetables for 2-3 minutes.

4. Add noodles and sauce over vegetables.

5. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

Shrimp with Garlic and Chile Butter

This is a recipe adapted from Food and Wine, which is delicious and even fast after you've made it a few times. It even tastes good with bagged frozen shrimp. We serve it over angel hair pasta or fettucine, the fresher the better. Reserve some of the pasta water in order to make the sauce stretch a little further.

One yummy alternative to just plain cherry tomatoes is roasting them before incorporating them on a cookie sheet until they are blistered and a little charred.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup olive oil
1 or 2 pounds shrimp, shelled and deveined (how hungry are you?)
Salt & Pepper
4-6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 dried chile de árbol, stemmed and chopped (these are really hot; we've found using a whole dried chile is too spicy, but this is a matter of opinion)
1 cup clam juice
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (OR canned diced tomatoes)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons snipped chives

In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the garlic and chopped chiles and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, about 1 minute. Add the clam juice and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until the broth has reduced by one-fourth. Whisk in the butter a few cubes at a time until incorporated. Add the tomatoes and shrimp and simmer until the shrimp are just cooked through, about 2 minutes longer. Stir in the lemon juice, cilantro and chives and serve.