Peanutty Chicken and Pasta.

Lately on my son's and my regular date to the library, I pick up a couple cookbooks to browse though. Usually I find one, maybe two recipes I'm truly interested in making, and I usually don't get around to making those. This cookbook, though, the Southern Living Kids Cookbook, has so many post-its sticking out of it now I hardly know where to begin. Jonathan even helped me choose which recipes to make, though I suspect he was just having fun sticking on the post-its to as many pages as possible. I know for a fact he wouldn't eat the chicken salad he picked out.

This recipe stood out to me, as I love ordering the chicken with peanut sauce at the asian restaurants we occasionally frequent. The lovely thing is that my husband liked it too, and he's not usually a fan of peanut sauces. The other thing I love about this recipe is that you don't cook the vegetables, and you can't tell. Until I told him, Chris had no idea I'd not cooked the vegetables, and he hates uncooked veggies.

All in all, an simple, quick recipe that works great for lunch or dinner. Now, please excuse me while I go add this cookbook to my christmas list.

Peanutty Chicken and Pasta, from Southern Living Kids Cookbook

Ingredients:

1/4 c. low-sodium soy sauce

2 T. coconut milk

2 T. creamy peanut butter

1/4 t. dark sesame oil (This adds so much to the sauce! Worth getting if its not in your pantry already.)

8 oz. uncooked corkscrew pasta (I just used the full 16 oz bag and counted on having leftovers.)

2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast

1/2 c. preshredded carrot (or, you know, you can shred it yourself...it'll just take a bit longer.)

2 green onions, sliced thinly

1/4 c. chopped red bell pepper

1/3 c. unsalted peanuts, chopped

Directions:

Whisk together first 4 ingredients in a small bowl, set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and place in a big bowl. Add sauce, chicken, carrot, green onions, and bell pepper, toss gently to coat. Top with chopped peanuts. Enjoy!