Thai Peanut Spaghetti Salad

Want to bring something unique, yet easy and a delicious crowd-pleaser to your summer BBQs in the next few months? Look no further! I made this for a gathering last night, and I really thought I'd be bringing home more than just a tiny bowl's worth that won't even fill me up for lunch!

Start by cooking up a box of spaghetti (I used whole wheat, and my box said it was 7 servings). Drain and set aside to cool, or put it in the fridge if you're going to let it sit a while.

Then, cook up a double batch of this Magic Spicy Peanut Sauce. This is now my go-to peanut sauce, and I use it on everything that might possibly go well with peanut sauce. If I don't have fresh ginger, I use powdered, and I don't get any complaints. The only thing is, and this is IMPORTANT, the amount of chili sauce and sriracha that she calls for make this sauce INSANELY HOT. I've never used the full amount, and for this batch I only used 1 tablespoon of sriracha (no chili garlic sauce) for the double batch, and people still commented that it had some kick. Cool the sauce a bit.

Now, cut up some veggies. I used red bell pepper, carrot and green onion. Green onion is a must, but otherwise you can mix and match whatever veggies you have on hand, or are on sale, or whatever strikes your fancy. Sugar snap peas, fresh green beans and cabbage come to mind as veggies that would be nice additions. I'd say, though, use no more than 3 or 4 different veggies, because this salad had a lot going on.

Open a can of black beans, rinse and drain them.

Now, toss everything together and keep it cold until the guests come (or you take it along with you).

Sorry, I don't have any pictures, but here's a quick re-cap of the recipe:

Thai Peanut Spaghetti Salad

1 box of whole wheat spaghetti, cooked, drained and cooled
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
approximately 2-3 cups of chopped veggies (bell peppers, carrots, green onions, cabbage, etc)

Double batch of Magic Spicy Peanut Sauce:
6 T chunky, natural peanut butter
1 T sriracha
1/2 cup water
4 T honey
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 T fresh ginger, minced OR approx 1 t dried ginger
2 T soy sauce

Combine all sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil over med-high heat. Boil until it reaches desired thickness (I made it about the thickness of yoplait yogurt). Let sauce cool in fridge or freezer (if you're in a hurry).

Toss the spaghetti, beans, veggies and sauce, serve and enjoy! (This would also make a great main course out on your back patio on a perfect summer evening. You could add an extra can of black beans for more protein.)