Stir-crazy cooking: Spicy peanut noodles offer endless variety

Back in the Before Days, when daily grocery runs for recipe supplies were commonplace, the spicy peanut noodles my wife would make were a winning recipe for the two of us. But now that we're cutting back on supply runs and looking to make more meals with what's on hand, it's also an options-friendly pick.

The base of the recipe - peanut butter, soy sauce and something sweet - offers home cooks the luxury of a tasty but neutral base that can be spiced up to whatever level of heat and tanginess your eaters desire. Don't have rice noodles on hand? I actually prefer it with angel hair pasta. Are you a chunky vs. creamy peanut butter household? We've made it with both.

The beauty of this recipe is you can make the basic noodle recipe and serve it five different ways for five different people. My wife likes to make the noodles with thawed frozen peas to add a little sweetness, and I prefer it with chopped cherry or grape tomatoes, slivers of bell pepper and shredded carrot. We had tomatoes, broccoli and jarred jalapeños on hand this week, so that's what went into it this time. And the recipe can be veggie-heavy, but it's also great with chunks of grilled chicken mixed in, too.

And don't worry about leftovers. Toss some of the cold noodles on top of a bed of baby spinach or mixed greens for a delicious lunch salad the next day.

Spicy peanut noodles

For the sauce

2 tablespoons peanut butter

4 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons warm water

1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce (We were out, so I used honey and extra ginger for the sweet and tangy)

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 clove garlic (or the equivalent of jarred minced garlic)

½ teaspoon of ground ginger (If you have fresh or ginger paste on hand, even better, but this is pantry cooking.)

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

For the noodles

½ pound of noodles (The recipe calls for rice noodles, but we usually make it with angel hair or fettuccine noodles.)

For the mix-ins

Whatever raw or cooked veggies or proteins you like (or have on hand)

Cook the noodles per instructions.

Meanwhile, heat the peanut butter and water in the microwave for 10-20 seconds until the peanut butter gets gooey and melted.

Whisk in the soy sauce, chili sauce and lime juice until the sauce is fairly smooth. Add a little more water if it's still too thick and pasty.

Mix in the ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes.

Here's where customization begins. If you like it tangier, add more lime juice. Sweeter? Add more chili sauce (or honey).

Drain the noodles and toss with the sauce. Serve as desired.

Adapted from a recipe by Lindsay S. Nixon, the "Happy Herbivore"