thai style veggies with spicy coconut peanut sauce.

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heyhey. i made this tasty little colorful dish o' veg. and quite delighted about it.

and it's accidentally vegan! i didn't realize until after i was done making it and had to read over the ingredients like 10 times to verify they were all plant-based. huzzah! 

i don't think all peanut butters are technically vegan, but i used an all-natural one with just peanuts. so watch out for that if you are indeed a plant-based eater.

this spicy peanut sauce is so mighty delicious and flavorful...i'd like to eat it on its own. it has kind of a lot of ingredients, but i think they all matter to get the full flava flavvvvv.

this dish is simple to make, too! the sauce ingredients just go in a food processor or blender, and thats that. the vegetables get chopped and sautéed in one pan, and thats that. you could easily have everything ready in 30 minutes. 

i thought this was a great meal that tastes exciting and a little complex with the peanut sauce, but at the same time its just fresh vegetables. a good balance of healthy freshness with yummy savory, creamy, spicy, & zingy flavor. i don't know if 'zingy' is actually a word, but i think i use it a lot. i think what i mean is that it has a kick! ginger + red wine vinegar + shallots + lime = all the zingers.

also, if i'd had red thai curry paste on hand i would have added some to the peanut sauce for sure. then this recipe could just be called 'spicy curried thai veggies' instead of this other kooky long title that i've come up with for it. oh wHell. 

i think the little broccoli florets were surprisingly my favorite part since the peanut sauce seeps down into all its little crevasses and they're bursting with spicy creamy peanutty flavor. "flavor treasure troves", as pete would call it :)

this is certainly one of those things that tastes a little better the second day after all the veggies and sauce have ample time for flavor melding goodness, by the way. mmm boy!

Veggies with Spicy Coconut Peanut Sauce

Serves 2-4

Time: 30 minutes

 

Ingredients:

Spicy Peanut Sauce (yields 1 1/2 cups of sauce)

  • 1 inch knob of ginger
  • 1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter
  • 1/2 can (about 7 oz.) coconut cream
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 medium sized shallot cloves
  • 2 TB soy sauce
  • 2 TB sriracha
  • 3 tsp. red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper
  • juice from 1 lime
  • dash of salt
  • dash of paprika

To prepare the peanut sauce, add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside. Store extra sauce in airtight container in fridge.

Veggies

  • 1 large zucchini, chopped into chunks
  • 4 broccoli crowns, stems removed and cut into florets
  • 1/2 a red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
  • 1/2 a green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
  • 5-7 small crimini mushrooms, chopped into chunks or wedges
  • 1 medium carrot, peeled and then shaved into ribbons
  • 1/4 cup cashews, roughly chopped
  • 2-3 TB olive oil

Instructions:

Prepare peanut sauce as described above.

Chop all veggies as instructed above. Heat a large pan to medium heat and add 1 TB olive oil. Add the zucchini, bell peppers, and mushrooms to the pan and drizzle 1 more TB olive oil over the top (mainly on the mushrooms). Sautée these veggies for about 5-7 minutes, tossing frequently with a wooden spoon until tender but still crunchy.

Reduce heat to medium/low and add the broccoli florets and carrot ribbons. Add about 1 cup of the peanut sauce. Gently coat the veggies in the sauce and simmer 3-5 minutes until sauce is heated and thickens a bit.

Remove from heat and serve immediately, with rice if desired. Add a drizzle of extra peanut sauce, and sprinkle the chopped cashews over the veggies as well.

 

 

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