Roasted Shrimp and Green Beans with Peanut Butter Sauce
EASY. HEALTHY. COMFORTING. WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT?
A couple of days ago we had some heavy snow. A foot of it to be exact. It was great to receive a call from the school announcing that it was a snow day. That means, it’s a snow day for everybody… Hurrah! Getting another hour of sleep is definitely nice. To make Eric and Nate coffee and breakfast lazily in my jammy is awesome. Somewhat it feels like a Saturday morning that we almost forget we ever had. We’re not racing to take Nate to school for practice after a Friday Night Light game.
Making some fried rice with eggs on top, an Indonesian way to welcome the day 😉 Then I heard Nate, “What’s for dinner later mama?” Breakfast was not even served yet. Yep. But that question reminds me that I did not go to the store to stock up just for days like this. Who really wants to go to the store at this point? No one. Everybody wants to be in their pajamas and sit by a fire place and play with their smart phone. Right? 😀 At least I do…
I opened my fridge. I found green beans. That’s interesting. I was the one who went to the store and actually picked up some green beans, of course I have a plan for them. Not. Well, that must have been the need to get them because… They are everywhere! Thanksgiving is just around the corner, right? And we have to have green beans as one of our side dishes. Have to. Not the mushy kind. Never any mushy, slimy green beans at our Thanksgiving table. Ever.
Then I continued to find something that would go with my lovely French style, happy green beans. I looked at the freezer. Hello there, bag of extra large shrimp. Be-A-u-tiful! Then I answered Nate, “Roasted Shrimp and Green Beans with Peanut Butter Sauce, South East Asia Style.”
“Why south east Asia?” he asked. “Because… it’s to go with the theme for the day. You had fried rice for breakfast, right? That was so… South East Asia,” I said with a smile. I reached my laptop, wrote down the ingredients and started to write my “recipe.” Well, this recipe 🙂
Friends, this is an easy version of satay sauce. Using a lot of them, pantry staples: peanut butter, brown sugar, soy sauce… Well here it is, an easy to do dinner meal. For me, for a snow day, or more like a blizzard day, or any day that you need some comfort, look at making something that is close to your heart. The sense of being at “home.”
This may not be your typical comfort food on a cold snowy day, but please be comforted to know that it’s a healthy meal that you can whip up in a jiff – peanut butter, JIF – smart… 😀 I used organic natural creamy peanut butter, but you can use pretty much any peanut butter you have handy. And… you may really like broiling your green beans until it is charred around the edges. But be mindful not to burn. So, watch… Watch them like a hawk, my friend.
If you don’t like the sauce spicy, just use less of the sambal or sriracha. But they sure add a lot of flavor the dish. So, don’t omit them all together. Please.
Okidoke. Here it is, my version of easy shrimp satay on a bed of beautiful French green beans. Serve with rice or rice noodles to anchor your meal. And then scoop a dollop of the flavorful peanut butter sauce. Slap on your already wonderful dish, to make it heavenly.
- ½ cup organic natural peanut butter
- 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons mirin (rice vinegar)
- 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sriracha (or other chili sauce, I use ABC brand’s Sambal Ayam Goreng)
- 2 tablespoons sambal
- ¼ cup boiled water
- 2 pound extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 pound green beans
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for coating
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Set the oven to Broil. Line a half-sheet / rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Brush lightly with olive oil. Set aside.
- In a blender, add peanut butter, garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, mirin, sugar, sriracha, sambal and water. Mix until all ingredients are well combined and have a smooth consistency. Pour out half of the mixture (sauce) and set it aside. Toss shrimp with the remaining half of the sauce. Let it marinade and set aside.
- Toss green beans with olive oil on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly season with salt and pepper. For the vegetable to cook evenly, make sure the green beans are in a single layer. Broil for about 5 minutes. To prevent the green beans from burning, toss them occasionally. When done, take them out of the oven, but don’t turn the oven off yet.
- Spread the marinated shrimp on the green beans evenly. Return the pan back to the oven. Roast the shrimp until cooked through, and the green beans are charred on the edges, for another 5 minutes. Drizzle the shrimp and green beans with the peanut sauce. Serve with rice if you wish.
I’ll bet everyone reading this wishes they were stuck at your house on a snow day! Yum!!!