Food and Fitness for Living Better

I once stumbled upon the greatest recipe for a pasta salad that I turned into a veggie dip instead! Every time I make it, someone is surprised by how much they like it and ask for the recipe. It’s the only way I’ve found to actually enjoy eating broccoli raw. It got even the grumpiest of guys at work to admit they liked it, and to look forward to it. I brought it for the last two holiday potlucks at work. I have the taste down, I have the healthy aspect down, next I’m working on the presentation to really bring it home. 

Last year I made it for Thanksgiving to munch in place of lunch that day, and boy did the presentation come through then! 

There are a couple modifications I made from the original recipe, and of course you will add your own spin to it! The first is using powdered ginger instead of minced ginger. It’s really the flavor and zing of ginger that I’m looking for, so the powder does that plenty for me and frankly I don’t like the hassle of mincing ginger. I try to make less dishes, not more! Next is I cut the amount of sugar in it in half because I don’t believe we need so much added sugar in our lives. But, I do still add a little, and I use whatever I have handy at the moment. Sometimes it’s brown sugar like the original recipe called for, sometimes it’s honey or agave, and even hot honey. The last modification is that I usually use apple cider vinegar instead of rice wine vinegar, just because that’s what I usually have on hand. This last batch was actually the first time I made it with rice wine vinegar instead of my usual substitute of apple cider vinegar!

When serving, I include a small spoon so people can dip a couple pieces in or drizzle over some veggies. To store, pop in a jar and into the fridge for up to a week. When serving again, I typically mix in some water to thin it a bit.

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp powdered ginger
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 3 cloves or 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• 1 tbsp sweetener (brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, agave)
• 1-2 tbsp sriracha
• Up to 1/4 cup water for desired consistency (especially after being stored in fridge)

Directions: 

• Measure out soy sauce and vinegar into 2 cup measuring cup. Drop in peanut butter until liquid rises to 1 cup total. 
• Measure all other ingredients. 
• Mix until well combined. It will take a while for the peanut butter to disperse. 
• Thin with water until it’s at your desired consistency! Usually I don’t thin when first served, but will upon the second serving.