Peanut Noodles

Ingredients (serves 2):
• ¼ cup water
• 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 ½ tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 large clove minced garlic
• 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
• Optional - 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• Red pepper flakes, to taste
• 6 oz whole wheat spaghetti noodles, soba noodles, linguine, or rice vermicelli • 1 cup vegetables (julienne carrots, red peppers, broccoli, snow peas, cauliflower, etc.)
• 1 cup cooked tofu cubes, shrimp or chicken strips
• Chopped peanuts, to garnish
• Chopped fresh scallions, to garnish

Directions:
Cook noodles of choice al dente, and store in cold water until ready to use. Blanch or steam vegetables, keeping in mind that they will be cooked for another several minutes, so cook them until they are softened but still retain some crunch. Combine the first 8 ingredients in a blender to make the sauce (mince the garlic and ginger first or you may end up with large chunks). Cook the tofu, shrimp or chicken strips, then lower the heat to medium and add the sauce. Once the sauce thickens, add the vegetables and noodles and cook another 1-2 minutes, until the vegetables are warmed through. Garnish each bowl with roasted peanuts and chopped scallions.