Vegetarian Thai Peanut Pasta

As many of you know, there are few things that give me greater pleasure than cooking.  Nothing beats skipping around the kitchen, music blasting, and creating something new and tasty.  So today, in the spirit of my love for all things palate related, I would like share a delicious and easy recipe for Vegetarian Thai Peanut Pasta.  This is a recipe near and dear to my flavor loving heart.  I like it spicy, but you can certainly vary the ingredients to favor your taste buds. This can be prepared for a group of friends or for a party of one.  The recipe I am sharing serves five people.  You can double or halve if necessary.  Additionally, it can be tweaked to fit many diet restrictions.

What You Will Need:

1/3 cup chunky peanut butter (You can go with natural, reduced fat or full fat.  It is up to you!)

1/3 cup water

3 tbsp. brown sugar

3 tbsp. rice vinegar

3 tbsp. soy sauce (Use low sodium if you are going for the healthy!)

1 tsp. crushed red pepper (Reduce if you don't like it too spicy!)

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti (You can use white, wheat or gluten-free pasta!)

10 ounces fresh snow peas, trimmed 

1 large carrot, shredded

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions.  Add snow peas to pasta the last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain and place cooked pasta in a large serving bowl.  While pasta is cooking,  combine the first six ingredients in a medium saucepan.  Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to boil, stirring the entire time.  Remove from heat and add sauce and carrots to pasta, tossing thoroughly to coat noodles.

I would serve this pasta dish with a light salad made of iceberg or romaine lettuce, mandarin orange slices, peeled cucumber, slivered almonds and a light sesame dressing!  Bon Appetit!!