Sesame Ginger Noodles

It started last week with our middle son…then momma…then the baby boy…then our oldest son…then me. The FLU!!! Swine flu? I don’t know? But whatever it was, our whole family was affected. Laviyah had it worst. She was bed ridden for 3 straight days. When I say bed ridden, I mean comatose, under the covers, barely able to wobble herself to the bathroom to go tinkle. I was down one full day with the internal body aches and another day with a small headache…like that dehydrated because I was out way too late the night before hungover feeling. (You Chicago VOT’ers know what I mean :-?) The only one who didn’t fall prey to Porky Pig’s revenge…baby girl.

Our 8-month old Super-Immuno Baby. This girl is laying directly down wind from 5 icky people coughing in her face and nursing from a zombie mother. We’re all dragging ourselves around the house and she’s smiling, bopping up and down and yapping enthusiastically at us. The CDC needs to take a vile of her blood and develop a proper flu antidote. You know what? I’m tired of all that laughing and carrying on you did last week. That’s why I’m gonna stuff my face with pasta and you get some Joe’s O’s and So Delicious coconut yogurt…so Nah!!! Who’s laughing now?!! OK, you still are…love ya baby girl – super immune system vegan creature.

So everyone’s back on their stride and it’s time to celebrate. And how do you think we should do it? With starch, of course! So what, we were all mucous filled for a week. Let’s show this cursed, hoofed-footed beast of a flu we ain’t afraid. Our taste buds deserve a flavor extravaganza.

First, let’s make the sauce:

We have and our using:
1/8 cup Sesame oil
1/8 cup Hot Sesame oil
1/8 cup Bragg Liquid Aminos (not pictured)
1/8 cup Aged Soy Sauce
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
6 cloves freshly minced garlic

Add the liquids to a small sauce bowl.

Using a microplane…grate the fresh ginger into the sauce bowl…roughly 1 tablespoon.

Add your freshly minced garlic and finely chopped green onions and all ingredients together.

Doesn’t that look good? Put your mix to the side while you cook your starch and prep some more veggies.

I used this Barilla whole grain linguine. Of the whole grain pastas I have tried, this is quite good and goes very well with Asian flavors. You could also use a rice type noodle, but I like the wheat the best.

Put your pasta on boil and prep the topping vegetables.

We are going to top the dish with:
1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
1 hefty handful of mung bean sprouts (not pictured yet)

After the pasta is cooked, strain, add to a large mixing bowl and pour in your sauce.

Add the fresh red pepper and cilantro.

Mix everything together making sure to coat all the noodles well with the sauce mixture.

Finally, add the mung bean sprouts, mix and time to serve up.

Aahhh, welcome back to the world of great eating. I enjoyed my week of soups, water and juice. We may have gotten a little roughed up but we were victorious. And nothing says victory like a mouth watering plate of pasta drenched in the flavors of the Orient!