Thai Peanut Sauce and Wasabi-They'll cure what ails you!

For the past few weeks I thought I had really dodged the cold bullet that brought down the BF, my boss and several other people at work. Friday night I started to feel that scratchy feeling in the back of my throat...Saturday I was stuffy. Sunday I was miserable. I ate Tabasco on everything Sunday. On my cheese omelet and grits (Hey, I'm from Georgia, deal with it!), had Rotel and Velveeta for a snack with chips--plenty of heat there, and had fajitas for dinner with Tabasco on every bite. Still stuffy. Today I pulled this out:


Wasabi paste is easily found on the Asian food aisle in most grocery stores. I find it easier to use than wasabi powder and it keeps in the fridge for at least a month. So I decided on a two-part meal: Pasta and Stir-Fry Veggies with Thai Peanut Sauce and sauteed shrimp with Wasabi Mayo. This is a meal that can be made with so many improvisations...I'll give you the basic method with a few ideas for how to make it your own:

I chop (approximately) 1/2 of a large onion, 1 cup of carrots, sliced on a diagonal, 1 large bell pepper (yellow or red is best), and I wash 1 1/2 cups of sugar snap peas. This is what I had on hand. You could add green peas, snow peas, asparagus, broccoli, a hot pepper like a thai chili pepper or serrano, even water chestnuts or bamboo shoots which are commonly found canned on the Asian food aisle. Start by sauteeing (I'm not fast enough to really be stir frying) the food that will take the longest: the carrots. Start them in the pan with about 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil and 1 1/2 tsp sesame oil. Use vegetable oil because it doesn't get quite as hot as Olive oil and is less likely to burn things. Add 1 clove of crushed garlic if you want. Let this cook for 3-4 minutes and then add the middle veggies: peppers, onions, asparagus, broccoli. Stir fry for 3-4 more minutes or until things are getting more tender. Then add the snow or sugar snap peas or green peas. This is also when you'd add the bamboo shoots or water chestnuts. Cook for about 3 more minutes or until everything is tender, but still with a bite and still colorful.

In the meantime, heat water in a large pot for pasta. Use about half a box of penne or, if you prefer, spaghetti noodles. Cook pasta until al dente. Drain pasta and pour it back in the pot along with the vegetables. Add THAI PEANUT SAUCE. This stuff is amazing. Peanutty, spicy, sweet...start with a few tablespoons and then add to taste.

THEN: Make the Wasabi Mayo: 1 cup mayo, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp lemon juice or white wine vinegar, and 1 tbsp (or to taste) Wasabi paste. Mix everything together and refrigerate.

NEXT: Shell, devein, clean whatever, about 20 shrimp. Place them directly into the saute pan from earlier over medium heat. As soon as the bottom turns pink, flip them over. Cook for about another minute. AS SOON as they are pink take them off the heat.

Serve the veggies and pasta along side the shrimp with Wasabi Mayo for dipping. It'll clear your sinus and fill your tummy all at the same time!