Peanut Passion Sauce (with a kiss of lime)

SMooooOOCH!
Well, that was the original full name of this recipe for ED&BV... Peanut Passion Sauce with a Kiss of Lime...

I loved the alluring sound of it, a kiss of lime in a passionate peanut sauce. ooooh la la! Yet, through the editing process, the name was too long, and it got cut to just Peanut Passion Sauce. Boo.

But, the sauce is still deliciously sultry and enticing!... a peanut sauce that is tangy and vibrant with fresh lime juice and lime zest. In the recipe, I give ideas on using the sauce; as a dip, to blend with beans for an instant 'hummus'; and here as a sauce to toss into pasta. Since the sauce is thick, you need to thin it. Use whatever you like - 'lite' coconut milk, plain soy or rice milk, or a little water. *Also, try the sauce with sauteed tofu and an abundance of veggies, as I posted about back in the summer.

When I make this sauce and pasta, I love adding broccoli. Either add it to the pasta cooking water for the last couple of minutes of cooking to lightly cook (don't overcook!). Then, drain pasta and broccoli, and toss with peanut sauce and some liquid to thin. Simple, and no extra pot to clean! Alternatively, saute some veggies in a large skillet, steaming the broccoli by covering the skillet, and then when ready to heat the sauce, simply add it to that skillet on a low heat, adding the needed liquid. You can even toss the pasta with the sauce and veggies right in that skillet if it's large enough.

Note that after the pasta sits for 10 minutes or so, it may need extra sauce/liquid, so stir a little through before getting seconds! As for me, I take care of the sauce by adding just a drizzle of the pure peanut sauce right on top of my serving, as you can see... shhhh, don't tell anyone I hoard the peanut sauce!

Peanut Passion Sauce

Quick post today. This last week has been ultra hectic! But, I don't want to leave you without some vegan food goodness for too long...


This is a broccoli-tofu stir fry tossed with Peanut Lime Passion Sauce from E,D&BV. Actually, this time round it was an Almond Lime Passion Sauce! The original recipe calls for peanut butter (be sure to use organic natural pb - not that Skippy/Jiff stuff). But, I wanted to test the recipe with nut butters as an alternative for those with peanut allergies. Almond butter works beautifully, in fact, personally I prefer the almond version to the peanut - well, most days!
The sauce can be used straight as a dip, or can be tossed with soba or other noodles and veg (along with a touch water, lite coconut milk or non-dairy milk to thin the sauce) for a fast and delicious pasta meal, or as I've done here with just broccoli and tofu with the sauce (and non-dairy milk to thin). The sauce can be used for many dishes, and keeps well refrigerated. The lime really comes through in the seasonings as well, which tastes fresh and vibrant.

For this meal, I first sauteed cubes of extra-firm tofu to lightly brown. I removed the tofu from the pan, then added the broccoli and a splash of water, and covered the pan to steam the broccoli. Once cooked, I tossed in the sauce and the tofu, and voila, dinner! I served it on top of more Cran-Apple Quinoa, and of course a little salad on the side.

I'm not the biggest broccoli fan. When it's raw, I think of that line by Newman in Seinfeld... "VILE WEED"! I just don't like it raw (ditto for raw cauliflower). But, when cooked just right - not overcooked, just tender, I really like it. And tossed with a sauce so all those little florets pick up the sauce and hold it for every bite - oh yeah, I'm sucked in, and all of a sudden I love the vile weed! See? All those little broccoli florets coated with sauce? SO good! I've said it before - I'm a saucy girl (or was that my mom?). Well, both of us actually, but for obvious different reasons!

Also, for those of you interested in the developments of the Nina Planck article, check out South Texas Vegan blog. Erik Marcus has been keeping up to date (and responding to) developments with this issue, and notified me of the terrific letter Andrew wrote to the NY Times (scroll down his blog to read).

Now go sauce up some broccoli!