Spicy Thai Noodles

I've made this dish a few times now and it is a quick, vegetarian meal that is perfect for a work night when I don't have much time to cook dinner.

Ingredients

1 pkg rice noodles

1/2 C sesame oil

1/4 C canola oil

1 T red pepper flakes

6 T honey

6 T soy sauce 

1/2 C carrots, shaved

1/2 C cilantro, chopped

3/4 C peanuts, crushed

Prepare noodles according to package instructions.  For mine it required soaking them in water for 30 minutes, then boiling them for 5.  The first time I made this recipe I just used whole wheat spaghetti noodles which works fine as well.  This is the difference between noodles that are more like lo mein versus pad thai noodles.

Mix together sesame and canola oils in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add red pepper flakes and cook for 2-3 minutes.  If you don't like spice, half the red pepper flakes and if you like really spicy, double them.

Strain red pepper flakes out of oil.  Add honey and soy sauce. 

Pour sauce over noodles and toss together.

Add carrots, cilantro, and peanuts and stir well.

This dish can be served hot or cold.  If you wanted to add meat to this, you could easily add chicken or shrimp.  My friend Terra went grocery shopping with me on Monday and I shared this recipe with her.  She decided to make it for dinner as well and added chicken to hers.  She texted me a picture of hers and it looked delicious.

*I apologize for the poor picture quality.  I am clearly not a professional photographer and these are all cell phone photos that I snap quickly as I'm cooking (if I remember).