EclectEcon

From my vegetarian son, David Ricardo Palmer, and his daughters:

• 8 oz linguine (we used coloured vegetable rotini just for fun)
  
• 2 cups chopped broccoli (we added some cubed red, yellow, and green peppers, too)

SZECHWAN PEANUT DRESSING: makes 3⁄4 cup

• 1/3 cup peanut butter (the "just peanuts" crunchy stuff is great for this!
  
• 1⁄2 cup hot vegetable stock or hot water
  
• 1 tsp Soya sauce
  
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
  
• 2 Tbsp oil (we use canola or olive, whichever we have at the time)
  
• 2 cloves minced garlic
  
• 1 tsp dry, crushed red pepper (chili or szechwan peppers, depending on your tastes and tolerance)

Cook pasta in a large pot of salted, boiling water until al dente.
While pasta is cooking, steam broccoli and vegetables.
In a separate bowl, whisk together peanut butter and stock or water until smooth. Stir in the remaining dressing ingredients.
When pasta is cooked, drain well. Pour sauce over pasta; toss to coat well. Add broccoli and vegetables and toss again.
Serve hot, cold or at room temperature.

More ideas: Make extra dressing to keep on hand in the fridge. It’s great on cold veggie salads such as chilled, steamed green beans or broccoli. Or, warm up the dressing and pour over steamed vegetables such as green beans, broccoli or cauliflower.

[Adapted from “Pasta with Szechwan Peanut Dressing” from Paulette Mitchell’s The 15-Minute Vegetarian Gourmet]

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