Vegan Appetizers
Spicy Szechuan Noodles
I was introduced to these spicy noodles by a friend in Honolulu many years ago. Her version was made with peanut butter. I do not eat peanuts, so I created this variation for my family and they LOVE it!

You will find the word Szechuan, pronounced (schwän), spelled all kinds of was on the Internet. This recipe yields 3 cups of sauce... enough sauce for two one pound boxes of linguini or spaghetti pasta. I use 1 1/2 cups for a one pound package of linguini. One cup for mixing into the hot drained pasta and 1/4 cup to spoon over the top of the serving dish along with a few finely diced jalapeno peppers, bell peppers, cilantro, mint, scallions and raw cashews.

The remainder of the sauce is saved for a night when I'm not very inventive and want something exotic, but fast and easy.

Servings
6 Servings as an Entree
12 Servings as an Appetizer

Ingredients
The Sauce Ingredients
3/4 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup agave nectar
3 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
8 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup tahini (ground sesame seeds)
1/2 cup tamari
1 cup rice wine vinegar
optional: 1 tablespoon hot chili sauce, organic
(Lian How Brand Chili Sauce contains: chili, salt, vinegar, sesame oil. Contains NO preservatives.)

The Pasta Ingredients
1 pound linguini, spaghetti, or any kind of pasta
1 tablespoon sea salt

The Finish Ingredients
1/2 cup raw cashews, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint, julienned
1 1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
sprigs of cilantro and mint for decoration
4 scallions, finely sliced diagonally

optional additions
1 jalapeno pepper, fine dice
1/4 cup green bell pepper, julienned
1/4 cup red bell pepper, julienned
1/4 cup orange bell pepper, julienned
1/4 cup yellow bell pepper, julienned

Tools
Cuisinart Food Processor or Blendtec Total Blender
measuring spoons
measuring cups
cutting board
knife
cutting board
large pot for boiling pasta with lid
pasta drainer

Preparation
Gather the Ingredients
This recipe will go well if ALL the INGREDIENTS are assembled before cooking the pasta. This way the sauce is completed at the same time as the pasta and preparation time is cut in half.

So, go collect all the items to insure that you have everything on hand to complete this recipe before you start.

Pasta Preparation
Fill a large pot with water, 2 tablespoons sea salt and bring to a boil  and add the pasta.

Cook the pasta till just al dente, sightly under cooked is best as the heat will continue to cook the pasta after it is drained.

Prepare the Szechuan Sauce while the pasta is cooking.

Pour 1 cup of the sauce over the hot drained pasta and toss with tongs to distribute the sauce evenly throughout the pasta.

Add the desired veggies, cilantro and mint and toss again lightly.

Plate individual portions and drizzle a bit of the leftover sauce onto each portion and serve immediately.

Create The Sauce
While the pasta is cooking,use a Cuisinart Elite Food Processor fitted with the knife blade or a Blendtec Total Blender and add all the sauce ingredients: the tahini, whole raw cashews, rice wine vinegar, agave nectar, hot chili sauce, sesame oil, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic and ginger.

Puree until the contents become a smooth sauce.

There will be approximately 3.5 cups of sauce created from this recipe.

Set aside 1 1/2 cups of the Szechuan sauce for the drained pasta.

HINT: If the sauce is too thick for your taste, try adding 1/4 cup plain Silk Soy Milk Creamer or Plain Wildwood Creamer to the noodles and toss lightly.

Pour the remaining sauce in a jar and store in the refrigerator... this sauce will last refrigerated for 3 weeks.

Chop the Toppings

Raw Cashews

The Cashews
For a topping on the finished noodles, simply chop the raw cashews into a fine dice and set aside.


Fresh Mint

The Herbs
Roughly chop the cilantro and mint.


Fresh Bell Peppers

The Veggies
Finely slice the scallions and julienne the bell peppers.

The Garnishes
Save a few springs of cilantro and mint to use as finishing touches for plating.

Finishing Touch Ideas
Drain the pasta and add 1 cup of the sauce and toss to completely coat.

Just before serving, add the mint, cilantro, scallions, and optional colorful julienned bell peppers and diced jalapeno... gently toss into the pasta and serve. Add a few springs of cilantro and mint to each plate to make a grand presentation.

This dish may be served warm or at room temperature.

Szechuan Noodles makes a great make ahead weekend buffet item to have in the refrigerator. These noodles reheat quickly in a sauce pan or may be eaten at room temperature.

Buffet Party Idea
Buffet food needs to be easy to handle. Long pasta noodles can be difficult to navigate when balancing a plate and drink. So for buffet parties, you might want to consider using a smaller pasta shape that can be "forked".

Presentation
Appetizer Serving

Use a large fork and twist a mound onto it and place on the serving plate.

Sprinkle with a few diced raw cashews, dust with the finely sliced green scallions and add a few cilantro sprigs and enjoy. This makes an artful appetizer plate and the taste will WOW anyone who loves Chinese food.

Buffet Serving
Szechuan Noodles make a fabulous buffet platter. Simply reserve some fresh cilantro springs to tuck under the edges of the pasta and sprinkle some whole raw cashews, scallions and cilantro over the top... ooh, la, la!