Any advice/reviews on the following pasta salad recipes?

[slknight]

I'm going to make a pasta salad for our Supper Club picnic outing tomorrow night, and I just can't decide which one to do. Have any of you made the following, and if so, do you have any reviews of them?

Peanutty Noodles (May 2000)
Pasta with Corn, Beans, and Tomatoes (June 2001)
Sesame Noodle Salad with Red Bell Pepper and Peanuts (July 2001)

Actually, I just realized that the pasta with corn, beans, and tomatoes is supposed to be served hot, and not as a salad. Although I think it would be good cold anyway.

Also, if you have any different recommendations, I'm open to hear them. Thanks in advance.

-Susan

[Tina_B]

I absolutely adore the peanutty noodles. I know they have received several very positive reviews on this BB. They are very filling and can be eaten easily as a main course dish.

[gertdog]

Another vote for the Peanutty Noodles (mmmm), although I haven't tried either of the other two recipes.

[RunnerKim]

Peanutty Noodles is one of my favorite recipes!
I have also made the other two recipes and yes the Pasta, corn, beans, tomatoes is good cold (ate it that way for lunch).
I cared for the sesame noodle salad the least and would not make that one again.

Peanutty Noodles is thick - kind of a stick to your ribs kind of pasta (because of the peanut butter). I generally prefer it in colder weather and always make it as a main dish because its very filling.

The Pasta, corn etc. is lighter and more summery (but not as outstanding of a recipe overall, in my opinion).

Kim

[goldilocks]

The Peanutty Noodles are very good. I would treat this more of a main course as it is pretty hearty. Another good one that's lighter and would be more of a side dish is the Artichoke and Pasta Salad. I don't think you could go wrong with either of these.

Artichoke-and-Pasta Salad

This tangy salad--tossed with spinach, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and feta cheese--is a great alternative to the usual potato salads you normally see at picnics, potlucks, or family reunions.


Ingredients
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups cooked radiatore (about 5 ounces uncooked short coiled pasta)
2 cups thinly sliced spinach
1 cup chopped seeded tomato
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese


Directions
Prep Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes

Combine 2 artichoke hearts, olive oil, and the next 6 ingredients (olive oil through garlic) in a blender or food processor, and process until mixture is smooth.

Chop the remaining artichoke hearts. Combine the chopped artichokes, pasta, spinach, and chopped tomato in a large bowl. Pour pureed artichoke mixture over pasta mixture, and toss well to coat. Cover and chill 2 hours. Sprinkle with feta cheese.

[greysangel]

another vote for peanutty noodles.

This is SOOOOOOOOOOOO yummy!! By far the best recipe of that kind and one of my all time favorites.

It is VERY hearty. I made the mistake the first time of making it as an appetizer and everyone was so full from that, they hardly had any stir fry!

Now I usually add veggies and tofu to that and make it a full meal.

JeAnne

[Beth]

Another vote for peanutty noodles. We usually add more veggies (less snow peas plus broccoli, red bell pepper, carrots, sliced squash or whatever) and make it a meal. We had it once a week for a while, but haven't made it since it's been warm. The leftovers are good too.

[slknight]

The peanutty noodles calls for "chilic garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee)." What is this and where in the store do I find it? Is it in a small or large bottle, and do you know if I can substitute anything for it? Also, it says natural-style peanut butter. Should I buy the totally natural freshly-ground stuff? Or is it ok if I use something like Peter Pan?

Thanks!

[greysangel]

The garlic sauce I found was like a brown sauce that came in a good sized jar (20 oz maybe?) I couldn't find chili garlic...I found honey garlic and that worked pretty darn good ;)

I just added a touch of hot chili paste to it to spice it up.

As for peanut butter, choosy cherubs choose Jiff :D

JeAnne

[goldilocks]

You can find chili garlic sauce in the asian food section in your grocery store. Otherwise an asian grocery store would have it. I always use 'Sambal Olek' which is in a plastic jar with a bright green lid.

As for peanut butter, you can use the regular stuff. When they say natural, it doesn't need to be the kind that you grind yourself. I know Trader Joe's sells it and it's labeled as natural style. Your supermarket might have this variety too. The main difference is that the natural PB is not a sweet (or as smooth) as the regular.

[guavagirl]

The other reason you might choose natural peanut butter is that the "unnatural" stuff contains added trans fats (partially hydrogenated unsaturated fats), which are worse for your arteries than butter :eek:, but happen to be great for keeping the PB from going rancid. So, choose the natural PB and store it in the fridge.

[Nancy171]

I've made the pasta with corn and the sesame noodles but not the infamous peanutty noodles (although I guess I really should...).

The pasta with corn etc. tasted very summer-like with all of the fresh herbs and tomatoes. It's really a showcase for good vegetables and herbs and gave me that really good healthy feeling you get when you eat something really nutritious after a day of eating crap. It was also good cold the next day.

I have to defend the much maligned sesame noodles. I made them two days ago against the recommendation of many on the board. DH and I loved it. All of the fresh herbs created a lot of interesting tastes: spicy and salty but minty and sweet. However, given the general consensus, you might not want to make it for a group.

[SusanL]

We loved the peanutty noodles, but agree that it was a cold weather food, it was very filling!! The pasta with corn was ok, but my vote is for the artichoke pasta, from Goldilocks. I made it for a luncheon, and everyone enjoyed it, actually there were no leftovers! I enjoy it the next day for lunch!!

[cjm]

Susan - thanks for posting this thread. I've gotten some good ideas (anxious to try goldilocks artichoke pasta). I don't know that Trader Joe's is in Kansas...is there a TJ's website?

[SusanL]

Sorry, here is the site for TJ's
http://www.traderjoes.com/tj/locations/
None in Kansas:(

[Jewel]

Love the Peanutty Noodles! I bring 'em for lunch at least once or twice a week. I prefer natural peanut butter in cooking simply because it seems to have a stronger peanut flavor, and you can use less and still get plenty of flavor!

Also putting in a vote for the Fettucine with Finger-Licking Peanut Sauce which is just as good eaten cold as a salad. Us Peanut Butter junkies will eat peanut butter any way you put it in front of us! :D

[Julia1Pin]

I finally made peanutty noodles last night. I didn't have chili sauce, so I used sesame chili oil , and just upped the garlic and ginger. I didn't have snow peas, so I omitted those and added more yellow and green peppers. And I took your advcie and added shrimp and calamari to make the dish a main course.

It was terrific. My DH and I both loved it. Since I only used 9 oz. of noodles (fron the Thai Kitchen series, the Chili noodles), I saved about 3/4 of a cup of the peanut sauce for another sauce (I put it in one of those squeeze bottles).

Thanks so much for your endless ;) reviews. I finally got off my butt and made it, and it was definately worth it.sesame chili oil