It’s strange. I don’t like peanut butter, but a good spicy Thai peanut sauce is one of my favorite things. I love it drizzled on just about everything and I discovered that it is a fabulous flavor pair with spinach. This recipe is re-worked to make it low-glycemic and vegan this time around and for the May vegan recipe challenge – SOS (a.k.a Sweet or Savory) - by Ricki of Diet, Dessert and Dogs and Kim of Affairs of Living. We agree with these two fabulous food bloggers: spinach is one of the healthiest things you can put in your mouth – calorie for calorie dark greens have the most nutrients of any food! We should all eat it every day!

I always had trouble making good peanut sauce until it finally dawned on me: to have really good Thai peanut sauce, you must start with really good peanut butter. It was one of those “Duh” moments for me!  It is a little more expensive, but you only use a little and it is well worth it. I like the all-natural “dark roasted” style with only two ingredients: salt and peanuts. I made this recipe with the idea of serving it cold on salads, so it is more like a vinaigrette than a sauce you would serve warm with chicken. I must admit that I tried to mimic Trader Joe’s Peanut Vinaigrette, which is also good BUT mine turned out even better – fresher tasting and more of a flavor punch!

I very lightly and briefly sauteed some rough chopped spinach for less than a minute until it just barely started to wilt. You could also blanch it quickly in boiling water. I then drained it and drizzled it with peanut vinaigrette, and sprinkled it with some diced roasted peanuts. Wow! Such an explosion of flavors!

SPICY THAI PEANUT  VINAIGRETTE on Wilted Spinach

Serves 4 – Prep and Cook time 20 minutes

1/3 cup all-natural dark roasted peanut butter
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
3 tablespoons agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon sriracha sauce
1 tablespoon grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
12 cup chopped fresh spinach leaves
1/2 cup chopped roasted and lightly salted peanuts

Blend (or vigorously whisk) all ingredients except spinach and peanuts until smooth. Set aside at room temperature for flavors to blend.

Heat a large skillet or wok to medium high heat. Add a little canola oil to pan and then add spinach and stir constantly, for about 1 minutes, until spinach just begins to wilt. Arrange spinach on a serving platter.

Drizzle on peanut vinaigrette and sprinkle on peanuts and serve immediately.

Other food bloggers’ peanut vinaigrettes:
Cilantro Lime Peanut Vinaigrette, Gimme Some Oven
Peanut Dressing, Blazing Hot Wok

Other  fabulous looking Thai peanut sauce recipes (for serving warm) by fellow bloggers:
Red Curry Thai Peanut Sauce, Kalyn’s Kitchen, with coconut milk and red curry
My Mom’s Thai peanut sauce recipe, She Simmers, simmered with coconut milk
Peanut Noodle Saute with sauce, Closet Cooking, also with coconut milk
Peanut Chicken Stir Fry with sauce, Karina’s Kitchen, a zesty sauce with lime juice

–posted by Donna