Let’s be honest about New Year’s Eve. Once you’ve reached a certain age, celebrating stops being about partying and starts being all about hunkering down with a movie and comfort food on the couch.
There is no shame in admitting this. After all, most of us spend most of the year wishing life would slow down enough to have just one evening now and again to do nothing and veg with a movie. So why not embrace this desire as a fine way to close out the year?
My comfort food of choice this year? Fried udon noodles with red peppers and shrimp, all slathered in a spicy peanut sauce. It’s simple. It’s filling. It’s addictive and satisfying in a totally carby-fatty way that will have you planning your resolutions for the next day.
FRIED UDON NOODLES WITH SHRIMP AND SPICY PEANUT SAUCE
Start to finish: 20 minutes
Makes 4 servings
1 cup natural peanut butter
1-inch chunk fresh ginger
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Hot sauce, to taste
4 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 large red bell peppers, cored and thinly sliced
8-ounce package udon noodles
1 pound shelled raw shrimp, patted dry
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
2 scallions, green and white parts, thinly sliced
Nutrition information per serving: 960 calories; 520 calories from fat (54 percent of total calories); 58 g fat (10 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 145 mg cholesterol; 70 g carbohydrate; 11 g fiber; 15 g sugar; 47 g protein; 1,630 mg sodium.
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