Recipe: Peanut sauce

I realize I could call this ongoing series Junk Food Sunday because the recipes I posted are not exactly great examples of super healthy recipes. I do think they have a place though. I was so happy to finally find a recipe for peanut sauce without added oils or sugar. This is especially great if you have kids who love to eat "normal food" sometimes.

Health notes

Natural peanut butter is made of ground dry roasted peanuts, and nothing else. It is an excellent source of protein (peanuts contain more protein than tree nuts) and provides many vitamins and minerals (among which boron, which is good for your bones). Peanut butter also contains resveratrol, the antioxidant in red wine that protects against heart disease and cancer.

There are a couple of concerns with this peanut sauce though:

• Peanut butter is often contaminated with aflatoxin (the ones that you grind yourself in the health food store are the worst, in this regard) but if you eat a diet that is very rich in leafy green vegetables, you do not have to worry about that.
• Peanut butter (like all roasted nuts and nut butters) contains carcinogenic acrylamides. I feel that if you eat a healthy diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables your body should be able to handle a little bit of acrylamide every once in a while.
• This sauce is high in sodium, so you should watch your portion size and/or replace the soy sauce with something more heart healthy.

The source of this recipe is the best source of vegan recipes on the internet: Fat Free Vegan.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup natural peanut butter, crunchy or smooth
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoons lime juice (I use lemon, because that's what I have on hand most of the time)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons grated ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)

Directions

Mix all ingredients together well. Makes about 1 cup.

Nutrition Facts for entire recipe

• Calories: 547
• Fat: 42 g.
• Protein: 19 g.
• Carbohydrate: 23 g
• Sodium: 1800 mg (1200 mg if using "low sodium" soy sauce)

September 10, 2006