This is based on a Rachel Ray recipe from her Every Day With Rachel Ray magazine website. It’s supposedly a 30 minute meal – I think it would be if you had the pasta already cooked – or if your water heated faster than mine did. 
Of course, if I’d actually put the burner on high, not on medium, things would have gone faster.
When I try a new recipe for the first time, I try to make it exactly as written. Sometimes, it doesn’t happen – I forgot to buy something, or thought we had an ingredient but didn’t, that kind of thing. This is one of those times. I had only crunchy peanut butter (which I’d bought for something else). I don’t think it caused a problem at all.
You should have seen the look of pleasure on Matt’s face when he tasted the sauce for the pasta. This one has definitely been added to our family recipe book.
And one of these days, I’ll remember to take a picture of the dish just before it’s served.
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad
1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
1/3 cup + 2 tbsp peanut butter, softened (I used organic crunchy peanut butter)
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup tamari (dark soy sauce)
Juice of 2 limes
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (eyeball it)
1 clove garlic, grated (I used a microplane and did it straight into the mixing bowl, so as not to lose any of the garlic juice)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups cooked chicken (I used chicken breast)
1 cup packed fresh spinach, thinly sliced (I used baby spinach)
1/2 cup shredded carrots
4 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, then rinse under cold water until the pasta is cold and set aside. Let the pasta continue to drain while it dits – you don’t want any water to dilute the sauce.
Meanwhile, get a large bowl (and I mean very large), whisk together the peanut butter, honey and 1/4 cup warm water. Whisk in the tamari, lime juice, hot sauce and garlic. Pour in the oil in a steady stream, whisking to combine. Add the noodles and toss to coat.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the noodles and toss until well mixed.
You’ll note that the recipe doesn’t call for any salt or pepper. You really don’t need it. You get a lot of seasonings from the hot sauce, and the tamari adds just enough salt to the dish.
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