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.

Tortilla Pizzas

I have a confession to make.  These are iPhone photos.  And, I was simply the sous chef behind this recipe. It was a Monkey Scientist creation (although I may or may not have emailed him the recipe).  Regardless, this is such an easy, healthy recipe, that I wanted to share it with you despite not having my camera with me when the MS was cooking.  Forgive any lack of quality in photos - it doesn't indicate a lack of quality in the recipe.



My next warning I should give you, is about the jalapenos. They make this pizza VERY spicy, especially if you use whole slices, with seeds, and as many as we did.  The Monkey Scientist liked it, but my mouth was on fire and I ended up having to peel a lot of them off.  Giardiniera was a little less spicy, although of course it's very regional and you may not be able to find it (the Monkey Scientist may or may not have smuggled a jar back with him from Chicago).  If you're not into spicy (I'm talking to you, Mom and Dad), leave the jalapenos out.  The pizza will still be delicious!



I am a huge pizza lover.  I mean seriously, who isn't?  But come New Year's Resolution time, it just doesn't fit the healthy diet I'm striving for.  These tortilla pizzas are such a great alternative.  The carb-filled crust is swapped out for a crispy, crunchy tortilla.  It's no Chicago deep dish, but it turns into almost a sweet cracker - absolutely awesome.  Plus, if you load on enough veggies, you don't need to add nearly as much cheese while maintaining that cheesy taste of a delicious pizza.



I love this pizza! It can be adapted so many different ways to fit the ingredients you love.  While we pretty much stuck by the original recipe, we added sausage for some extra protein. I absolutely LOVED the white beans in it.  I didn't stick by the proportions of the original recipe, but compared to what you see on my pizza, I wish I'd had a lot more beans.  Per usual, I also dug the artichokes on this pizza - they're one of my favorite things.  As far as portions - I had 1 plus less than 1/4 of a second, and the Monkey Scientist ate 2.  I would aim for 1 for a light (read: female) meal and 2 for a more robust (read: male) meal.  This would also be a really fun recipe to make with your kids - let them load the toppings on themselves! (Just do the "putting in the oven" yourself please!)



Tortilla Pizzas
from Eighty Twenty, with some small additions

Ingredients
4 10" whole wheat flour tortillas
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 cup sliced onions
2 tsp minced garlic
1 cup white beans, drained and rinsed well
1 1/3 cups quartered artichoke hearts (patted dry if canned), separated into smaller pieces
1/2 cup low fat, low sodium chicken sausage, sliced (optional)
1 1/3 cups baby spinach leaves, stemmed
2 oz crumbled feta cheese
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup jalapeno slices or giardiniera (optional)

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat 1 tsp in a skillet over medium heat. Add sliced onions and saute until soft, ~5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. On each tortilla, spread 1/2 tsp olive oil. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp minced garlic onto each tortilla, then spread white beans, artichoke pieces, sausage, spinach leaves, sauteed onions, cheeses and jalapenos (if desired) evenly onto tortillas.
4. Place in oven, directly on middle rack or on a cookie sheet, and bake for 10-16 minutes, or until tortilla is crispy and cheese is melted. Remove from oven and allow to cool for ~2 minutes prior to cutting into quarters and serving.