Spicy Peanut Sauce and Yummy Broccoli Slaw

I've been stuck on broccoli slaw lately- I love that it has a crispness that works well in slaws and a hardiness that stands up to cooking as well.  I've used it in everything from Broccoli and Ramen Noodle Salad to No-Noodle Pad Thai lately- it's safe to say it's having a moment in my kitchen that I don't see ending soon.

I had a couple of bags of it in my fridge that needed to be used before heading out of town to visit family and I turned to Pinterest for some ideas, stumbling across this recipe for Thai Broccoli Slaw Salad from Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing.

Super easy, just a package of broccoli slaw, honey roasted peanuts, and peanut sauce tossed together.

I got excited about this, not only because I could use up my broccoli slaw but because one of my favorite recipe creations in the history of ever is for my- rather boringly named- Surprising and Spicy Peanut Sauce.

I originally came up with it as a dipping sauce for fresh Vietnamese spring rolls (an absolute favorite of mine!!!), but I've made it over and over again since then any time a recipe calls for peanut sauce.

It's just...perfection.  Creamy, nutty, spicy, and wonderful.  

Not going to lie, the name is right- it's pretty darn spicy.  If you want a deliciously flavorful sauce without the heat I'd halve the sriracha and cut the red pepper flakes down to 1/4-1/2 tsp.

Me?  I like it hot.  :-)

From the reviews over at Allrecipes since my recipe was published, so do the majority of people who have tried it!

Anyway, I used a full batch of my peanut sauce to a 16 oz package of broccoli slaw and it was super-yummy.  Definitely one I'll be making again!

Surprising and Spicy Peanut Sauce

My recipe, published on Allrecipes.com

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons chile-garlic sauce (such as Sriracha®)

2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

3 tablespoons ketchup

2 teaspoons Asian (toasted) sesame oil

1 tablespoon white sugar

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir onion, chile-garlic sauce, red pepper flakes, and garlic until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add water, peanut butter, ketchup, sesame oil, and sugar to the onion mixture; cook and stir until smooth. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes.