Penne all'Oriental

By Chef Antonio Cecconi

Thai peppers are tiny, spicy and full of flavor. If you would like to bring down the heat a bit in this dish omit a portion of the peppers. If you like it spicy, two of these firecrackers are quite a kick.



Ingredients:
1 box Dreamfields Penne Rigate
3 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
2 small Thai peppers, minced
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves plus 1 tablespoon for garnish
1/4 cup diced cucumber (1/3-inch dice)
1/2 cup hearts of palm in brine, drained
2 tablespoons unsalted chopped peanuts, divided
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook mint, peppers and cilantro 3 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add cucumber, hearts of palm, 1 tablespoon chopped peanuts and lemon zest. Pour in water, soy sauce and lemon juice. Cover and cook 5 minutes.
4. Drain pasta and add to pan. Toss well and cook 3 minutes longer over high heat. Top with garnish of cilantro and peanuts.

Nutrition information per serving (1/6 of recipe): 334 calories; 12 g protein; 15 g digestible carbohydrates*; 10 g fat; 1 g saturated fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 378 mg sodium; 7 g total dietary fiber.

*When using Dreamfields in this recipe the digestible carbohydrates are 15g per serving.

Labels: all, asian, family, Low-Calorie, Low-Cholesterol, Low-Digestible-Carbs, Low-Saturated-Fat, Low-Sodium, main-dish, penne, quick, vegetarian