Cold Noodles and Sesame over Salad

I have adapted this from the traditional Szechwan Chinese dish. Serve this with a salad, below. Warning: This is addicting! It is also a vegan recipe.

1 pound Chinese-style dried noodle (found in Asian food stores, the noodle looks like spaghetti, fettuccini or angel hair, but tastes different) or spaghetti/fettuccini
5 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoons ginger, minced
3 tablespoon black or white sesame seeds
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 cucumber, cut into long thin shreds

Sauce:

2 tablespoon San-J® All Purpose Szechuan Hot and Spicy Sauce
1 cup crunchy or smooth natural peanut butter
3 tablespoons soy or tamari sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Hot pepper flakes to taste
Water

While heating water to cook pasta; sauté ginger, sesame seeds and garlic. Adjust heat to low and add ingredients for sauce, stirring well. Add small amounts of water until you like the consistency—should be thin enough to coat the pasta easily. Taste the sauce, as you may want to add more of one or more ingredients. If it is too hot and spicy, add more peanut butter. Cook pasta, drain and toss in the sauce. Embellish with cucumber. Serve room temperature or warm.

Soy Dressing

This is excellent dressing for a salad served with cold noodles and sesame. Also, try as a dressing for cold cooked vegetables, like broccoli or asparagus.

3 parts olive oil

1 part white rice vinegar

1 part soy sauce

crushed garlic

Pepper