I whipped up a double batch of this light, yet extremely flavorful, salad last weekend for a backyard dinner party.  I stumbled upon it at epicurious.com and immediately new this simple dish would be a great compliment to the rest of the dinner I was preparing.  Although the recipe calls for a basic liguine to use as the noodle, I think a whole wheat pasta or buckwheat soba noodle would be a healthy and delicious substitute.  As well, you can throw in some edamame or tofu to make it a more complete meal in itself.

1 pound linguine, broken in half

4 tablespoons oriental sesame oil

3 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 red bell peppers, seeded, thinly sliced

3 cups snow peas

1 large red onion, thinly sliced

3/4 cup honey-roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain very well. Transfer to large bowl. Whisk 3 tablespoons sesame oil, honey, soy sauce, vinegar and cayenne pepper in small bowl to blend. Season with salt.

Mix half of dressing into pasta. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, peas and onion and sauté until just beginning to wilt, about 2 minutes. Add vegetables to pasta. Mix in peanuts, basil and enough dressing to coat. Serve, passing any remaining dressing separately.