Pressed for time and tired of take-out? Want somethin’ yummy using stuff you already have on hand? Love the hot nutty wonderfulness of a Thai peanut sauce? Look no further, my vegan friends; dinner will be chopstick-ready in no time. (And for you non-vegans, stir in some rotisserie chicken if you like, but I’m thinking you ought to try it as written here–you won’t miss the meat!)
This is another fabulous recipe from The Fat Free Vegan. If you’re vegan and not following her blog or Facebook yet, go do that now! (I’ll wait here until you get back.) I’ve altered the recipe slightly, dropping the oil, adjusting to veggies I had on hand, and adding peanuts and cilantro for toppings/garnish.
- 8 oz pasta, prepared according to the package (I used udon noodles)
- 4-5 cups mixed, chopped veggies (I have red onion, broccoli, two kinds of cauliflower, zucchini, and carrots here)
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1/2 tsp ginger powder or 1 tsp fresh grated
- 2-3 TBSP natural peanut butter, smooth or chunky (I used chunky)
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/8- 1/4 tsp cayenne (I used 1/4 tsp–we love spicy!)
- 2-4 green onions, sliced
- 1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
Start heating water for your pasta and chop veggies into similar sizes. Drop the pasta into the boiling water and saute veggies in a large pan, using veggie broth to keep them from sticking.
As the veggies and pasta cook, saute garlic and ginger in a bit of veggie broth for a minute or two–until aromatic.
Stir in peanut butter and cook until heated through and combined. This will start sticking quickly; not to worry–the next step will release it from the bottom of the pan.
Stir in water, soy sauce, vinegar and cayenne. Mix until smooth–as smooth as you can get with chunky peanut butter, that is! Add more water or more peanut butter to adjust the thickness to your liking.
Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce.
Stir/toss in the veggies.
Serve with sliced green onions, peanuts and cilantro. How easy was that?!
Perfect for a busy weeknight, fabulous for company, special enough for date night. Delicious and more spicy for lunch the next day! Yummy! We love to use chopsticks for Asian foods…do you?