Cold Sesame Noodles

I had a very busy life growing up between school, dance, homework, my parents both worked full time, swim/dive practice in the summer... sometimes my parents needed a break from slaving away in the kitchen!  We were guilty of going to the grocery store deli and getting deli "salads".  You know what I'm talking about: macaroni salad, potato salad, etc.  but our favorite was the cold sesame noodle salad.  We would stock up on that stuff because we would devour it in a min!

Well I've moved away from that grocery store and now live in the sunny, hot Florida.  I want to have a night where the meal I make doesn't cause my apartment to make it unbearably hot/uncomfortable to be in.  Unfortunately I've yet to find a local grocery store that makes and sells those delectable noodles... So into the kitchen I went!  Now this does have some cooking in it... BUT it's only enough time and heat to make the noodles.  Then everything after that gets COLD!  I searched and searched online but nothing sounded just right so I combined a few and doctored it up (or as my late uncle would say: I "gourmet-ed" it) to make it just DELISH!  Also I put at the end of the ingredients list 2 things that I didn't have on hand but that I remember being in my old grocery store bought noodles, but this salad is good with or without them!

Give it a try on your hot summer night!

1lb spaghetti

5 TBSP toasted sesame oil (Divided 2T and 3T)

2 TBSP tahini

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1 1/2 tsp distilled white vinegar

2 1/2 TBSP sugar

3 TBSP sriracha, more or less to taste

1 cup vegan chicken broth (1 cup of water and 1 tsp better than boullion no chicken base)

1/4 tsp white pepper

2 shakes granulated garlic

2 shakes ground ginger

1/2 carrot, cut into matchsticks

1/2 cucumber, diced

2 scallions, trimmed and minced (optional)

1/4 cup, minced cilantro (optional) 

Boil the noodles in a large pot of well-salted water until tender. Drain, cool thoroughly in cold water, and drain again. Toss the noodles with 3TBSP sesame oil. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

In a large bowl, combine the rest of the sesame oil, tahini, peanut butter, vinegar, sriracha, sugar, vegan chicken broth, ginger, garlic, and white pepper. Add the cold noodles and toss well. Add the cucumbers, carrots, scallions, and cilantro, toss well, and serve.  Top it with more carrots and some toasted sesame seeds.