Better than take-out!

Made these last night for my husband and myself! (Figured they'd be too spicy for the kids, so we made them individual pizza -- they were satisfied!) I made an extra-large batch** (love leftovers!) and I made a few changes, which I have noted - as always!! Hope you try this quick and satisfying dish!

DAN DAN NOODLES -- 4 Servings

1 pound frozen fresh wide Chinese egg noodles, thawed **NOTE: I used 2 (9-oz.) packages of 'Azumaya Asian Style Thin Cut Noodles' (found fresh in the produce cooler of most grocery stores!) and doubled the rest of the ingredients!! -TC

2 tablespoons canola oil *I used Safflower oil -TC

1/3 cup dry-roasted peanuts *I used sliced almonds, with extra toasted almonds as a garnish -TC

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste)

1 teaspoon sugar

2 garlic cloves

1 (1/2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled

8 ounces lean ground pork

1/8 teaspoon salt *I used Geasoning -TC

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice *I zested the lime and cut a few wedges to use as garnish -TC

3/4 cup thinly diagonally sliced green onions

1 1/4 cups chopped seeded peeled cucumber *I used about 1/2 cup shelled edamame-TC

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro *I used 6 oz. fresh mung beans -TC

1. Cook noodles in 6 quarts boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 3/4 cup cooking liquid. Place noodles in a large bowl.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add peanuts to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until fragrant. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Combine peanut mixture, soy sauce, and next 4 ingredients (through ginger) in a mini chopper; process until finely ground. ***I toasted the sliced almonds in a dry pan, minced them with a chef's knife, then added them to the soy-sambal mixture -- too lazy to pull out the food processor! ;) -TC
3. Cook pork and salt in skillet over medium-high heat 8 minutes or until done, stirring to crumble. Add peanut mixture and 3/4 cup cooking liquid to pork; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add pork mixture, juice, and onions to noodles; toss well. Place about 1 3/4 cup noodle mixture in each of 4 bowls; top each serving with 5 tablespoons cucumber and 1 tablespoon cilantro.

Nutritional information: CALORIES 541 ; FAT 17.2g (sat 3.5g,mono 8.2g,poly 4.2g); CHOLESTEROL 43mg; CALCIUM 54mg; CARBOHYDRATE 66.1g; SODIUM 914mg; PROTEIN 31g; FIBER 3.9g; IRON 1.6mg --Courtesy of MyRecipes.com, originally seen in Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2009.