One of the most iconic dishes at Thai restaurants is peanut noodles. These are typically rice noodles covered in a creamy, savory, sweet and slightly spicy peanut butter-based sauce.

While the noodles are delicious, they may have more carbohydrates than some of us would like to eat. Luckily, that delicious peanut sauce can be used in other applications. For example, it makes a great salad dressing for Asian inspired salads. It can also be used as a finishing sauce for stir-fries.

The following recipe is for a simple version of peanut sauce. My favorite way to use it is as a dressing for an Asian inspired slaw. I’ve included the ingredients for that as well.

Peanut Sauce

• 1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter (just peanuts and salt, no sugar or hydrogenated vegetable oils)
• 1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp sriracha (Or another hot sauce. You can also substitute a pinch or two of dried red pepper flakes.)
• 2-3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 medium limes)
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger (optional) or substitute ½ teaspoon ginger powder (Hint: Keep fresh ginger root in your freezer and use a grater to grate off just as much as you need for each recipe.)
• 2-4 Tablespoons hot water

Instructions

If you are going to use this recipe to make the slaw, you can start with a large bowl and mix the dressing in the bottom, and then add the slaw ingredients on top. Otherwise, just use a smaller bowl. Add all ingredients (except water) to the bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of water and stir to combine. Add additional water if needed to achieve the desired consistency. I like about 3 tablespoons total for the slaw.

Thai Peanut Slaw

• 1 recipe peanut dressing (above)
• 1 12 oz. bag broccoli slaw (I like the one that includes some of the broccoli florets)
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin into matchsticks
• 1 cup shelled edamame (You can find it with the frozen vegetables. If shelled edamame is not available, buy the unshelled version, cook and pop out of the shell to use.)
• 3 green onions, sliced
• Chopped peanuts, green onion and cilantro to garnish (optional)

Add all ingredients to a large bowl and use tongs to toss and evenly distribute the sauce. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours and serve. Will keep for 3-4 days.

Peanut Sauce - Makes 4 servings. Nutrition per serving: 197 calories, 16g fat, 10g carbohydrate, 8g protein, 3g fiber.

• Sherry DeWalt is the healthy lifestyles coordinator for the CGH Health Foundation in Sterling.