Peanut-Thai Pasta

I thought my days of pasta were over because there was no way I was going to find a recipe that was tasty AND clean.  Thank you 100daysofrealfood.com for proving me wrong!  A couple of coworkers made this recipe and recommended it, so I figured I give it a try.

The ingredients in the sauce may sound unusal, but trust me, you should give it a try.  When I originally made the sauce it was a little salty.  The comments suggested using a low sodium soy sauce, but I was already using a soy alternative with very little sodium, so I made a few tweaks (Side note: I use Bragg Liquid Aminos instead of soy sauce.  I started using it when I did the Daniel Fast last year and loved it, so it's now a staple at my house.)  To down play the saltiness, I added a little more peanut butter, some honey and olive oil  and it worked perfectly!  I will definitely be making this again.

Ingredients

• 8 oz whole wheat spaghetti noodles (1/2 box)
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ cup chopped fresh basil
• ½ cucumber
• Optional: Crushed red pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Cook noodles according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, garlic, and basil until combined into a smooth mixture.
3. Once the pasta is ready, drain and combine with the soy sauce mixture until pasta is evenly coated with sauce. Dice half of a cucumber and toss together with pasta. Serve at room temperature or chilled.