I’m pretty stoked about this dish, not just because it turned out successful and tasted great, but also because I finally have a new way to use Kelp Noodles. When I first learned about this superfood, I went out and bought several packages of it. Those have been sitting in my pantry and fridge ever since — waiting for some sort of inspiration. With 6 calories per serving (and 4 servings per package), I have got to find ways to make this gluten-free and fat-free noodle a staple in my cooking.

First step is to soak the noodles in a bowl of hot (not boiling) water to soften the noodles up. Set it aside while prepping the vegetables. For this dish, I chose some purple kale, green bell peppers, and some green onions. Tear off the leaves of the kale, throwing the stems away. Chop the green onions and bell peppers separately.

The bell peppers should be chopped small but not too fine. This will add a nice crunch to the dish.

First you need some heat. Red chili flakes and sesame oil, to be exact. Also add garlic paste, ground ginger, ground mustard, and salt.

Then you add your peanut butter. I prefer crunchy organic peanut butter, but you can use creamy peanut butter, or you can substitute almond butter. About 2-3 tablespoons is enough. What you see pictured below (1/4 cup) was borderline too much. Any more and the dish would have been too saturated.

The peanut butter is the key ingredient, but its richness needs to be cut with a couple tablespoons of dijon mustard, up to 1/4 cup of soy sauce, and 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar.

Add the soy sauce in slowly while stirring on low heat. The trick is to keep the peanut butter from clumping so much that it won’t coat easily on the noodles. However, it won’t really be a thin sauce unless you change the proportions up a bit. You don’t have to keep this heated for more than a couple minutes before adding in the bell peppers, kale, green onions, and drained kelp noodles. Once the kelp noodles are in, you’re simply tossing/stirring to get it coated.

Season with some sriracha for added heat. Top with fresh cilantro. Enjoy.

I can’t believe how good this turned out and how easy and fast it was to prepare. There’s no cooking involved. This entire preparation can be done in a bowl instead of on the stovetop if you prefer to keep it raw. I was able to crank out this delicious dinner in just about 15 minutes.

Total cook time, approximately 15 minutes plus 5 minutes to prep.

12 oz kelp noodles
1 cup kale
1 bell pepper
1/2 cup green onions
3 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/2 tablespoon sriracha
1/2 tablespoon cilantro

Makes 4 servings.

Calories: approx 180 per serving