Peanut noodles are a favorite takeout dish around my house. You know how you eat something for a long, long time and you don't really stop to consider what it's really made of? Well, I did that for many years, until I started this healthy eating journey a while back. Then, I started to really wonder what I put in my body, reading up on certain recipes and foods and making mental notes of what was healthy at a restaurant and what wasn't.
So you can imagine my surprise when I checked the nutritional info on restaurant peanut noodles and learned that most clock in at around 900 calories per serving! I knew right then and there that my takeout addiction had to stop and that there had to be a healthier version I could make at home. It took me a while to figure out the exact right combo of healthy AND tasty, and I finally was able to land on this dish that uses soba noodles and PB2, which really cut down on the calories a lot while not sacrificing any of the taste.
How do you make Healthy Peanut Noodles?
These noodles are really quite simple to make. First, I cook the soba noodles according to the directions printed right there on the package. When they are finished cooking, I rinse them under cold water, drain the water off and set those aside.
Next, I whisk the PB2, soy, water, vinegar, lime juice, spices, and hot sauce together in a bowl. This is the dressing I will use to top my noodles.
I cook the veggies in a little additional sesame oil at medium heat. I add a couple tablespoons of water too so that the veggies steam up a little as they cook. You'll want them to be tender but not overdone.
Finally, I add the soba noodles and sauce to the vegetables and toss everything together with tongs or serving spoons. The noodles will rewarm after a couple more minutes. Add cilantro and serve! Yum!
How can I use leftover Peanut Noodles?
Leftovers are so good, right?
- Try adding these to some romaine or iceberg lettuce for some really fun lettuce wraps. Noodles and lettuce? Sure, why not?
- Mix leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken to the noodles to change up the dish.
- Add to hot pho broth or chicken broth for a surprisingly delicious, ready-to-eat soup!
- Have you ever tried eating peanut noodles, cold, straight outta the fridge? If not, now's as good a time as any!
- Hollow out the inside of big pieces of cucumber or larger tomatoes and add the cold soba noodles to the middle. Top with green onion slices and a healthy dose of hot sauce. Eat with a knife and a fork.
- Add leftover, cooked, or canned salmon or tuna to the top of the soba noodles for a seafood version of the peanut noodles.
- Make peanut-soba spring rolls using rice paper rolls. Roll the noodles right into the rice paper and dip in peanut sauce.
What is PB2?
PB2 is powdered peanut butter. The peanuts are first pressed to remove the oil (fat) and then the dried-out peanuts are then ground into a powder, which then becomes the PB2 product.
PB2 is a brand name, powdered peanut butter is made by a lot of other companies, and it's all basically the same thing under a different label. So, if you don't see PB2 specifically at your store, look for another powdered peanut butter product or ask a clerk to point you in the right direction.
Powdered peanut butter has all the flavor of peanut butter but has a whopping 85% less calories from fat. While two tablespoons of creamy peanut butter will contain about 190 calories, the same amount of PB2 contains only 45 calories. Regular peanut butter also contains about 16 grams of fat per serving, and powdered peanut butter only has 1.5 grams.
Powdered peanut butter also still contains fiber and protein and no vegetable fats that are sometimes added by manufacturers to the peanuts themselves. So, you can see how, when looking to cut calories and fat, switching from peanut butter to PB2 was a no-brainer!
Is soba better than pasta?
Soba noodles are typically made from buckwheat and water. Though, other variations exist and some might also contain wheat flour (so read the package ingredients). Whatever ingredient is listed first is what it contains the most.
Soba noodles, depending on their ingredients, can be healthier than regular, white-flour pasta. They have fewer calories, and more protein and fiber than traditional pasta. If the kind you have contain mostly buckwheat, then they are extra healthy. Buckwheat has been shown to be good for your heart (and cholesterol levels), it fights inflammation, it keeps your blood sugar level, and it can help with cancer prevention.