Peanut Sauce

Serve this delectable peanut sauce over noodles or grains. It's also good over sautéed tofu or tempeh or even used as a dressing on Asian-style salads such as the Thai-Flavored Tossed Salad shown above. No matter how you plan to use it, tailor the spiciness to your taste.

Makes about 1 ½ cups

• ½ cup natural peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, or to taste
• 1 scallion, coarsely chopped
• 1 to 2 teaspoons grated fresh or jarred ginger
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar or other liquid sweetener or your choice
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
• Cayenne pepper to taste

Place all the ingredients in the container of a food processor or blender, along with ½ cup of water. Process until smooth.

Use at once at room temperature as suggested in the headnote, or pour the sauce into a small saucepan and heat gently until warm,

• Here are lots more recipes for simple sauces and such.