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THE MAGIC OF PEANUT SAUCE

How to Feed a Teenage Boy by Georgia Orcutt
With its sweet-sour flavor and its familiar taste of peanut butter, a spicy peanut sauce often helps reluctant boys begin sampling vegetables they might otherwise avoid. Here's an easy recipe for making your own. You can also find a number of different brands at the store. Try it on pasta or steamed broccoli or as a dip for raw vegetables, or dilute it with 2 tablespoons of water and toss with 4 cups of packaged tri-color cole slaw mix or broccoli slaw. Thinned, it works as a marinade for pork, chicken, or shrimp. It also tastes great on crackers or rice cakes.

PEANUT SAUCE RECIPE
Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened chunky peanut butter
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons walnut or canola oil
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (from a 2-inch piece)
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
 

Directions

Combine the peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, water, oil, brown sugar, ginger, and red pepper flakes in a food processor and process until smooth. Spoon the mixture into a bowl and stir in the cilantro. (The sauce will turn an odd green color if you put the cilantro in the food processor.)

Use 1 cup of this sauce for 4 cups of cole slaw and keep the rest on hand to serve over pasta or with vegetables. It will keep, covered in the refrigerator, for up to a week.