Spicy Peanut

Spicy Peanut is a recipe that Matt brought to the relationship--one which has since become a total cult favorite in our household, but one that I have to admit I wasn't so sure I'd like when I first read the recipe. As a matter of fact, I was so sure I wouldn't like it that I told Matt I didn't even want to be around when he made it. I was convinced that it was filled with nothing but things I didn't like. Regardless, the first time I came home and he'd made a batch, I was enticed to try some and now, the rest is history.

Part of the beauty of SP is its versatility. It's basically a filling that you can eat as a salad, serve in a wrap (and handily freeze), or put over pasta. The only tricky thing about it is that it requires the concoction of basically two different sauces--Chipotle Paste and Spicy Peanut Sauce. The latter makes just enough for a single batch of Spicy P, while the former will stock your fridge with chipotle-flavored goodness for some time to come. (I think our last full batch lasted us almost two years, both in quantity and quality.) So, without further ado, here are the building blocks:

Chipotle Paste

1/3 lb dried chipotle peppers
2 tablespoons honey, molasses, or sorghum
2 tsp salt
1 T apple cider vinegar
Pinch of cumin
Pinch of garlic powder (or about 1 clove, diced)
Water to texture

Rehydrate the peppers by covering with water, bringing to a boil, covering and letting stand for at least 30 min. Then drain peppers and mix all ingredients in a blender or Cuisinart, adding water to thin slightly into a paste.

Spicy Peanut Sauce

1 cup peanut butter
1 can coconut milk (I think 15 oz)
6 T brown rice vinegar
6 T honey, molasses, or sorghum
3 T chipotle paste (recipe above)
1/2 lb sunflower seeds
About 5 tsp grated ginger
Black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients over low heat and stir until smooth.

Spicy Peanut (Salad, Wrap, etc) 1 batch Spicy Peanut Sauce (recipe above)

15-20 tortillas (if making wraps; depending on size)
2 lb tofu
Olive or coconut oil
1-1/2 cup brown rice (uncooked)
Pinch of salt
Pinch of curry powder
3 tsp grated ginger
1 white or yellow onion
3 T Seasame oil
3 tsp chipotle paste (recipe above)
3 T Soy sauce
2 lbs cabbage (green or red is fine)
1-1/2 lbs broccoli tops

Drain and finely cube tofu. Fry in olive or coconut oil until firm and dry.
Cook rice with 3 cups of water, 1 tsp salt and a pinch of curry powder.
Chop onions, cabbage, and broccoli.
Fry onions with chipotle paste, soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger until onion is translucent. Add cabbage, then broccoli and stir-fry until just cooked.
Add tofu and peanut sauce to vegetables. Stir in cooked rice.

If eating as a salad--eat! If serving as a wrap--wrap! This is also good over pasta. Wraps or salad can also be frozen.

This is a perfect dish for hungry pregnant women--convenient (once you make it), lots of flavor, tons of protein, plenty of brown rice and green vegetables thrown in too. Plus, it's hard for me to overstate just how delicious it is in a sweet-hot-creamy-crunchy-curry kind of way. There's something in it for everybody!