Peanut Noodles with Kale and Cannellini Beans

After a fun afternoon enjoying the Cherry Blossoms with the Monkey Scientist and my old camp friend, I wanted to throw together a quick and healthy dinner.  I picked up some kale at the farmer's market downtown and a can of beans from our local grocery store, but I had just about everything else at home.  My coworker had given me a few special peanut butters from Spread, so I used the Golden Raisin Curry peanut butter to give this recipe a little more flavor.



I am absolutely digging the chow mein noodles that I used.  You can just use spaghetti (whole wheat please!) but these add a new dimension of texture.  They're a little bit gummier than regular spaghetti, but in a good way.  I'm excited to find new ways to use them!  I bought mine at World Market, but I'm sure you could find them at an Asian grocery store or perhaps even in the Asian aisle of your regular supermarket.  They cost about the same as a regular box of spaghetti.



I loved that this recipe was vegetarian for my camp friend, but the Monkey Scientist and I did throw a little bit of cooked chicken breast on top for added protein.  We only needed to split one breast between the two of us though because the beans added nice protein as well.  We've been adding white beans to our salads and pastas frequently lately and I'm enjoying the flavor a lot.  They complemented this dish perfectly.



I like this recipe a lot!  In the recipe below, I decreased the acid a bit from the amount I used, as ours was a little bit too acidic.  If you are using regular peanut butter, try adding a little bit of curry powder - I think it complements the flavors nicely.  This recipe was originally in the Self Magazine Drop 10 menu plan, but I did add a bit more oil than they had called for.  If you want to decrease the oil for health reasons, it should still work well.  This is a great meal to throw together on a weeknight and a fun way to have a new and different type of pasta than the typical spaghetti with marinara.



Peanut Noodles with Kale and Canellini Beans
Adapted from Self Magazine, April 2012

Ingredients
1 package chow mein noodles (or whole wheat spaghetti)
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar (unseasoned)
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (can be flavored with chiles or curry)
1/4 cup orange juice
1 1/2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 bunch kale
1 15.5 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup sliced scallions

Instructions
1. Prepare noodles according to package instructions, but do not rinse in cold water.
2. In a medium sized bowl, combine rice wine vinegar, peanut butter, orange juice, and soy sauce and whisk until smooth.
3. In a pan with high sides, heat oilsovr medium high heat. Add kale and sauté until wilted.
4. Combine noodles, cannellini beans, and peanut sauce and stir until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Served topped with scallions.