Recipe: Veggie Peanut Pasta

Continuing the theme of summer dishes that pack up well for picnics, I wanted to share one of my all-time favorite dishes. I seriously could have this for lunch, dinner, and lunch the next day (in fact, I probably have done that at some point), it's that good. In the interest of time, it does include a store bought peanut sauce, but you could of course make your own. I happened to do this veggie style, but it's great with chicken or shrimp as well. It's quick, it's easy, there is minimal cooking involved, and you can switch up the pasta and veggies to make it your own. Best of all, the leftovers just get better and better.

Veggie Peanut Pasta

1 lb. dried linguine
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, thinly julienned
1 yellow pepper, thinly julienned
1 carrot, thinly julienned
1 cucumber, seeded and julienned
6 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced (these are easy to do on a mandolin if you have one)
1 cup of loose cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup peanuts, chopped
1/2 lime, juiced
10 oz. peanut sauce (I used San-J Thai Peanut Sauce)
salt and pepper

Set a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. While the water is coming up to a boil, slice the onion, red pepper, yellow pepper, carrot, and cucumber into thin strips. Cut each radish in half and thinly slice. If your cilantro looks a little dirty, give it a quick rinse, pat the leaves dry, and run your knife through the bunch until well chopped. Roughly chop the peanuts and set aside. When your pot of water is boiling, add a tablespoon of salt and cook the linguine according to the directions on the box until al dente, then drain. Pour the cooked pasta into a large bowl and immediately toss with the peanut sauce. Add in all the vegetables, cilantro, peanuts, and the juice of half a lime and toss it all together. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or cold.