#coldnoodlesalad

[saltandlavenderblog]

Spicy peanut soba noodle salad.

RECIPE: http://www.saltandlavender.com/cold-soba-noodle-salad-spicy-peanut-sauce/

[zzzinful]

Happy hour bites. #DuckComfy #ColdNoodleSalad #BahnMiSandwich #WitchesBrewStout #Chardonnay #Local #Washington #Wine #Love #Marriage #Anniversary #Vacation #HeLovesMe #Darico #AdventuresOfDarico (at Outlier)

[lauradoeslipstick]

Eating Is Something I Do With My Lips: 2 Sauces Featuring Almond Butter

I know this is a beauty blog, but it's also my only real blog, which means I occasionally get so excited about a non-beauty thing* that I want to share it SOMEWHERE.

*the only thing that makes me as excited as lipstick is food

You may or may not know that I'm a) deathly allergic to peanuts/peanut products and b) addicted to condiments. I like everything I eat to be covered in sauce- I pour hot sauce and BBQ sauce on sandwiches and rice bowls, I make my own salad dressings so I can go heavy on the vinegar,  and I love mixing up weird asian sauces for stir fries and cold noodle salads. You could say that I am all about that sauce, bout that sauce, etc.

It saddens me that some of my favorite condiments and dressings are out of reach because of peanuts- I LOVE thai flavors, but can barely set food in a thai restaurant- so I figured I'd give almond butter a try! It's supposed to be better for you anyway, I think. I picked up Trader Joe's crunchy almond butter (I sort of wish I had gotten creamy but this is my first time buying NUT BUTTER so what did I know) and got to work.

First up, I saw this Pinch of Yum recipe for a rainbow salad with honey mustard dressing in a video from a fellow redhead beauty youtuber, MakeupTIA. In her vid about meal planning she mentioned that she's obsessed with the dressing for this salad, which I've since made with some modifications.

Almond Butter Honey Mustard Salad Dressing

put these things in a food processor or blender (I used a blender as that is what I have):

3 tbsp almond butter 3 tbsp water 2-3 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice* 1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar 1 tbsp mustard** 1 tbsp olive oil 1 small tbsp honey 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp garlic powder***

For my salad I used a leafy mix, sliced grapes, chicken that I cooked a la the recipe (the chili powder was important), cucumber, scallions, and mint- the mint was a very welcome bit of freshness.

*ok. I used half a cara cara orange, which was fine, but the original recipe has 0 acid in it, so I kind of feel like you could add more and maybe also some lemon juice ** I only had honey mustard on hand, which made things a little too sweet, so dijon is probably best *** I guess you could use a clove of garlic, but raw garlic might be weird with all the sweetness.

In general you can see that I found the original recipe too sweet, so I added vinegar and maybe next time will also use lemon. I didn't have the feta cheese and almonds from the original recipe on hand, but I almost feel like they would be too heavy with this already thick and nutty dressing?

Next up, the world's easiest and most cheating-est cold noodle salad.

Thai- inspired Noodle Salad

combine in a small bowl or mug:

1.5 tbsp almond butter 2 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp ketchup (or chili sauce if you have that) 1.5 tbsp lime juice 1 tbsp sambal (regular sriracha will also do) 1 tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp fish sauce (optional) 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp ground pepper 1/2 tsp red chili flakes

All of those are guesstimates because I always eyeball my cold noodle sauces. I'll sometimes make a version that's just ketchup, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and sugar. But this one is an ode to pad thai.

Cook spaghetti or linguine (or actual asian noodles if you have those), and let it cool in the fridge or run cold water over it if you are impatient like me. Very good for using up leftover pasta. Add cucumber, scallions, cilantro, mint, and really anything- you could add egg or chicken to this, avocado, any vegetables, jalapeño or chili peppers, etc. Serve with a lime wedge.

Pair with: Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso.