when it's too hot to cook: spicy peanut cabbage slaw

     By now you all know my love for farmers markets. Mid-summer offers up so many colors and textures and shapes and tastes! The more colors going into my bag the better. This slaw brings together bright, eye-catching purple, orange, and green with a beautiful, refreshing crunch.

     What's even better than how pretty it is? I never had to turn on the oven! And in this humid, sticky 90 degree weather that is a huge bonus.

     You may opt to buy pre-shredded red cabbage and carrots. That's fine, I don't blame you. But if you have the slice/shred attachment for your food processor I recommend doing it that way! It's money saving, quick, and SO MUCH FUN. Seriously, maybe I'm just easily entertained but I could shred things in a food processor all day. So fun. So satisfying.

     The dressing is very versatile and can be used on salads of all sorts, as a dip, or even as a marinade. I use water in this recipe to thin it out, but if you desire something a little creamier try using almond or coconut milk instead! 

     If you are worried or put off by the word 'spicy' don't be - this is nowhere near strong enough to be a deterrent. If you feel more comfortable leaving the sriracha out then you go ahead and do you...but I say you give it a try. You'll love it!

Spicy Peanut Cabbage Slaw
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: n/a
Servings: 12-15 as a side

You Will Need:

• 1/2 head red cabbage, shredded
• 1 large carrot (or 2 small ones), shredded
• 1 1/4 cup sugar snap peas, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and stems removed
• 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1 1/2 TBS tamari
• 1 1/2 TBS sesame oil
• 1 TBS rice vinegar
• 2 tsp sriracha
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• sesame seeds and scallion/spring onion to garnish, optional

1. Place cabbage, carrot, and peas in a large bowl. 
2. In a separate small bowl, combine peanut butter, tamari, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sriracha, and garlic powder and stir until combined. It will be quite thick at this point. Add 1/3-2/3 cup water (or almond/coconut milk for a creamier option) to thin out. I added about 1/2 cup of water, but the brand of peanut butter I used was kind of runny on it's own.
3. Pour dressing over vegetables and stir until well mixed throughout. Chill until ready to serve, garnishing with sesame seeds and scallions if you so desire. Enjoy!