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It is an odd little kid who prefers observing adults above hanging out with other kids, but that is how I was issued. With the focus of Jane Goodall and the sofa as my cover, I studied grown-ups and all forms of their behavior; language, cultural and social norms, and how curiously their developed biology drove their actions. Kids I found to be mostly mean, addled, and ridiculous.

Cold Buckwheat noodle salad with peanut sauce on platter

It will not surprise you, then, to know I hated peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The basic components were good, I thought. But jelly seeping through the bread, the gluey palate-sticking nature of the thing, and the whole sandwich mangled by the smacking of a thermos inside the lunchbox of a girl with a purposeful stride? Thank you, but no.

If Crunchy Cold Buckwheat Noodles in Peanut Sauce had been popular among suburban moms so long ago, it would have been my absolute lunchbox preference. A tangle of chewy buckwheat noodles and colorful crunchy vegetables draped in a velvet cloak of spicy, gingery peanut sauce is arguably the best use of peanut butter. It would have had me daydreaming about girls in Indonesian -- where peanut sauce originates-- wondering if they liked math any better than me, if their parents fought, and whether they moved a lot or got to live in one house their whole life. I would have wished the Weekly Reader to do a story on them so I could know.

This recipe is for my grandchildren should they want something other than jelly and bread with the peanut butter in their lunchboxes.

Cold Noodle Salad with peanut sauce on a platter

Crunchy Cold Buckwheat Noodle Salad + Peanut Sauce

Course: Main Dish, Salad, Side Dish
Dietary: Dairy-Free, Vegan
Preparation: Fast + Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Chewy soba noodles and crackly-fresh vegetables are draped in a velvety, gingery peanut sauce. Make it in less than 20 minutes for a speedy dinner, but be sure to make extra-- it holds well for tomorrow's lunches or picnics. Easily halved or doubled, this all-ages people pleaser will be a welcome addition to your meal rotation.
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Peanut Sauce

  • ½ cup smooth peanut butter, well stirred if natural
  • 3 Tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
  • 3 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lime juice or rice wine vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. sugar, brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup
  • 2 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil also called dark sesame oil
  • 1 tsp. - 1 Tbsp. Sriracha or hot chili garlic sauce to taste
  • 1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger and its juice
  • 1-2 grated garlic cloves

Noodle Salad

  • 10 oz. soba (buckwheat) noodles udon, ramen, or rice noodles or even spaghetti are also good choices. Use gluten free noodles if you'd like
  • 6 cups fresh crunchy raw vegetables (see list below to mix and match*) chopped , coarsely grated, or thinly sliced
  • 3-4 green onions, sliced
  • 1 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
  • ¼ cup peanuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
  • Peanut Sauce (above)
  • 1 lime, cut in wedges for serving

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl that allows room for whisking, whisk peanut butter to loosen it. Add each ingredient one at a time, whisking thoroughly after each addition. (You are making an emulsion, and adding the liquids slowly in batches prevents a sloshy mess from forming. It will actually go faster this way, and will minimize cleanup.)
  • Whisk in warm water, one tablespoon at a time, until the sauce thickly drips from the whisk. You want the sauce to be thin enough to easily coat the nooks and crannies of the vegetables and noodles, but to retain some body. Depending on the thickness of your peanut butter and the room temperature, you will add between 1 Tablespoon and ¼ cup of water. Taste and make any adjustments of sweetener, lime juice, spicy heat, or perhaps salt. Set the peanut sauce aside.
  • Place a pot of salted water on to boil. Cook soba noodles according to package directions. When done, rinse in cold water until the noodles are completely cold.
  • While the water is heating and the noodles are cooking, prep your vegetables including the green onions. Aim for small dice, or thin matchstick pieces so that you can fork up a mix of vegetables and noodles in each bite. Place all the vegetables in a large bowl..
  • Coarsely chop the cilantro and peanuts. Keep a few tablespoons of each aside for garnish, and place the rest in the bowl. When the noodles are cooked, rinsed, and drained, add them to the bowl. Give everything a gentle toss.
  • Add about ½ cup of the peanut sauce to the bowl, and give everything a gentle but thorough toss, until all ingredients are evenly coated with peanut sauce. Add more sauce, tablespoon by tablespoon, until the salad is dressed to your liking.
  • Plate the salad individually or transfer it to a serving bowl or platter. Sprinkle cilantro, peanuts, and sesame seed on top. Serve with a lime wedge.
  • Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container. Will keep nicely for a day.

Notes

*Fresh crunchy vegetable options. Use what the garden or farmers market gives you, or what you have in your crisper:
  • cucumber*
  • green and/or purple cabbage
  • red or yellow bell pepper
  • snow or sugar-snap peas
  • carrot
  • radish
  • kohlrabi
  • white turnips
  • green or yellow summer squash* *Best added only if you'll consume the entire recipe right away, as they go soft and watery overnight. I don't mind this, but you might!
two glasses of wine and a plate of shrimp melon salad

Scorching record-breaking heat is promised across much of the U.S. this week, and you need cooling solutions, right? You're going to need this-- the best simple yet fancy cooling salad I can think of-- light, fresh and hydrating, and ever so tasty. When you eat it, try to imagine someone nearby fanning you with a palm leaf. Can you feel it?

This refreshing salad was made to serve with an equally refreshing chilled rosed. I love the 2020 Quady North Rogue Valley/Southern Oregon GSM Rosed for it's South-of-France typicity we don't often find in an Oregon rosed.

Quady North Rose bottle upside down in glass

About the Wine

Made with 48% Grenache, 42% Syrah, 9% Mourvedre, and 1% Counoise, it is quite dry and full of the mineral qualities I associate with a Provençal rosed. Its lower alcohol also makes it perfect for summer. You may notice a little orange peel aroma on the nose, and soft fruit and rain water filling out the mid-palate.

Quady North is organically farmed and LIVE certified for its sustainable winegrowing practices. Quady focuses on "small lot Loire-ish and Rogue Rhone releases". There we go talking about France again!

a glass of rose and a plate of shrimp melon salad
Screwtop equals picnic friendly!

He would not remember me, but years ago I met Quady North's fearless leader, Herb Quady, at a wine symposium. I knew I'd like him when he told of how people choose their favorite wines. He said something like, "It is the one you had that night under the stars with friends, someone was playing your favorite song on a guitar, and maybe you were falling a little in love." And, well, their labels are fantastic-- The tattoos I'll never have.

One last thing about Quady wines. At least for now, if you order two bottles shipping is free, and if you purchase a case you receive a 10% discount on this already quite affordable wine. Value added! (This is not a sponsored promotion.)

Platter of sweet and spicy shrimp and melon salad

The Sweet + Spicy Shrimp Melon Salad

Even boiling water for pasta or standing at the grill sounds a bit exhausting in heat like this. Sweet + Spicy Shrimp Melon Salad is a no-cook endeavor if you buy your shrimp already cooked, and please do! After a few chops of a knife and a few shakes of a jar you'll be made in the shade.

For a vegan option, sizzle bite-sized cubes of pressed tofu in hot oil until they brown, allow them to cool, and treat them the same as you would the shrimp.

Ingredients for the sweet and spicy shrimp and melon salad.
Avocado-- a last minute addition-- and olive oil are other ingredients you'll need
platter of sweet and spicy shrimp melon salad

Sweet + Spicy Shrimp and Melon Salad

Course: Main Dish, Quick + Easy, Salad
Season: Evergreen (April - July)
Dietary: Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Gluten-Free
Preparation: Fast + Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 2 main course or 4 as a side
Perfect for the hottest days of summer, this simple yet fancy cooling salad is light, fresh and hydrating. . . and ever so tasty. No-cook and made in minutes, you'll be sitting in the shade in no time.
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Salad

  • 6-8 per person cooked chilled shrimp, preferably shelled and tail-on
  • ¾ average cantaloupe, chilled and diced
  • 1 long cucumber, chilled and diced
  • ½ cup purple onion, scallion, or sweet onion
  • 1 large avocado, diced
  • 2 cups cilantro, basil, mint, and chives, chopped and lightly packed in any combination or alone
  • ¼ - ½ cup Sweet + Spicy Dressing, below

Sweet + Spicy Dressing

  • ¼ cup honey
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • 1 Tbsp. Sriracha, or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Gently toss all ingredients except avocado in a large bowl. Top the salad with the cubed avocado tucked here and there. (This keeps the avocado from being squished!) Serve.

Sweet + Spicy Dressing

  • Place all ingredients in a screwtop jar. Shake until the honey and salt are dissolved. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for use on other summer fruit-based salads.

Notes

This honey lime vinaigrette-style dressing does not use the proportions typical to a classic French vinaigrette. 

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Welcome!

Photo of 101-Mile Kitchen blog owner.

You’re in the right place!  I’m Pam Spettel, home cooking expert and guide, and I’m here to show you how to break up with cooking and hospitality anxiety, learn how to use recipes as guides rather than strict rules, and let your cooking intuition and confidence soar.

Superpower: Dreaming up recipes that work, serving them to my friends and family, and writing little stories about how cooking them well is the same as loving well.

Inspiration: Ingredients! The fresh, colorful, fragrant, local, seasonal ingredients found in the Pacific Northwest are my creative medium.

Heroes: Local food and wine producers– the people who keep me, my family, and our community nourished and happy.

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