Peanut Sauce

Cooking from scratch takes a lot of time but it’s time well spent when you a) love it b) want to keep chemicals and preservatives out of your food c) enjoy the taste of fresh food made from real ingredients made with love which makes it taste so much better.  It’s true.  Don’t question me on that one.

When I cook, I naturally go into a zen space. I’m more present, focused  on the task at hand and it leads, working (playing) with intention, naturally go into a meditative space which is great for my very busy brain.  (Though sometimes it’s not that busy. I find it empty at times. They didn’t call me space case at camp for no reason.)  So when people ask me why I would spend time making hand made pasta when I can buy it at the grocery store, or make my own salad dressing when I can easily buy those too, I chock it up to asking a seamstress why she’s making her own creations when she can easily buy a dress at the Gap.

Here’s my peanut sauce creation.  I like mine very thick and peanut buttery so if you’re into something thinner, reduce the peanut butter by  1/2 cup. I also find soy sauce really salty in this sauce, which is why low sodium is recommended. But if you only have the regular stuff, go for it anyway.

Let me know what you think below.

• 1 and 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• ¼ cup water
• 1/4 cup reduced sodium tamari or reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
• 1½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger or ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced, to taste
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1. Whisk together the ingredients until well blended. If your mixture is thick – depending on the peanut butter you used, you may need to add a bit more water to thin it out.