Vegan Appetizers
Spicy Szechuan Noodles

You will find the word Szechuan, pronounced (schwän), spelled all kinds of was on the Internet. The important thing is making the dish. I do not eat peanuts, so I made this variation for my family and they LOVE it!

This makes 2 1/2 cups of sauce... enough sauce for two one pound boxes of linguini or spagetti pasta. I use 1 1/4 cups for a one pound pakage of linguini. One cup for mixing into the hot drained pasta and 1/4 cup to spoon over the top of the serving dish with scallions.

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
4 to 6 Servings as Entree
8 to 12 Servings as Appetizer

Ingredients
8 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup tahini (ground sesame seeds)
1/2 cup cashew butter
1/2 cup tamari
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon hot chili sauce
(Lian How Brand Chili Sauce contains: chili, salt, vinegar, sesame oil. Contains NO preservatives.)
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound linguini, spaghetti, or any kind of pasta
4 scallions, finely sliced diagonally
1 1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
sprigs of cilantro
2 tablespoons sea salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

optional additions
1 jalapeno pepper, fine dice
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 yellow bell pepper, julienned

Tools
Cuisinart Food Processor
measuring spoons
measuring cups
cutting board
knife
large pot for boiling pasta
pasta drainer

Preparation
Pasta Preparation
Fill a large pot with water, 2 tablespoons salt and 2 tablespoons olive oil and bring to a boil while preparing the Sczechuan Sauce.

Create The Sauce
Use a Cuisinart fitted with the knife blade and add:
the oil, tahini, cashew butter, tamari, rice wine vinegar, honey, hot chili sauce, sesame oil, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic and ginger.

Puree until the contents become a smooth sauce.

There will be 2 1/2 cups of sauce created from this recipe.

Set aside 1 1/4 cup of the Sczechuan sauce for the pasta.

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

Pour the remaining 1 1/4 cups of sauce in a jar and store in the refrigerator... this sauce will last refrigerated for 3 weeks.

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

Add the cilantro, scallions, and optional red and yellow bell peppers and jalapeno... gently toss into the pasta and cover the pot with a lid.

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 eaten at room temperature.

Presentation
Appetizer Serving

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

Sprinkle with a few dry roasted 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 cashews, scallions and cilantro over the top... ooh, la, la!