Recipe: Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce (for everything)

I've made peanut dipping sauce no fewer than 4 times in the past month. First, I made it to dip store-bought Thai tofu summer rolls into.

I brought it to the annual Jingle Bell Run potluck accompanied by sesame sweet potato wedges.

While spending Christmas holiday with family overstuffed with all things indulgent, I made it again to dip raw vegetables into because, by that point, my body was begging me to please give it some raw vegetables.

And then I made it with sriracha cauliflower bites to serve friends at New Years.

A little spicy, a little sweet, this ginger peanut sauce tastes good on pretty much everything. Which is why I have been making it on repeat. You can mix it in a food processor or you can simply whisk everything together in a bowl. It takes less than five minutes to make. Everybody wins! Except those of you with peanut allergies. You lose. Sorry.

Spicy Ginger Peanut Dipping Sauce
Ingredients

• 1/4 cup natural peanut butter (I like Teddie best)
• 2 garlic cloves (leave 'em whole if you're using a food processor, mince them if you're using a whisk)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated or minced ginger
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1-2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon agave (or honey)
• 1/2 a small serrano or jalapeno pepper OR 1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce OR a bit of sriracha. Use whatever you'd like to make it spicy.
• 2-3 tablespoons of water, to thin as needed

Instructions

I prefer to put all the ingredients in a small food processor and blend until smooth and creamy, adding water as needed to get the consistency the way I like it (thin enough to pour, thick enough to stick to my celery sticks and broccoli). You could easily whip it together without a food processor if you mince garlic cloves and whisk everything in a small bowl. 

I've encountered many, many versions of peanut dipping sauces out there on the internet. If you're in search of inspiration about what to dip in your sauce, check out these excellent ideas from bloggers who have far more internet friends than I do:

From Minimalist Baker, rainbow spring rolls

From Cookie and Kate, a bunch of veggie sticks

From Thug Kitchen cookbook, roasted sriracha cauliflower bites