Asparagus with Peanut Sauce

Easy to make, easy to devour, and is the perfect accompaniment to  chicken or even as a main course to impress some veggie house guests! 

I am lucky enough to be able to travel to some amazing places, eat in good restaurants and sample food which I might not get just living in my little London bubble.   This dish is a perfect example of that.  Although incredibly simple, It was something I had never come across before.

On my last night in Vegas at the beginning of the year, a group of friends and I went for dinner at a restaurant called Tao.  We had been their previously, but went back because we knew that we would get a good meal, nice beer and would not break the bank like some of the other Vegas establishments!     One of my friends Denisa ordered a simple side dish of asparagus, peanut sauce and crispy rice and it was actually divine (I only just remembered the crispy rice part whilst writing this-hence why not in my recipe).  So much so that I had been thinking about it ever since January – and when I decided to buy some PB2 I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.     Peanut butter of course has many healthy fats in it, but when you are doing something like Sliming World the syns can break the bank.  That and the fact that I wouldn’t eat it so often so a jar would just go to waste in my fridge.  Cue the powdered lower fat version from PB2 – and my world has been revolutionised!   Team that with some perfect in season asparagus and you have a stunner of a dish

Calories: 84  •  Slimming World: 2.5 on Extra Easy Plan •

• Weight Watchers Pro Points: 1PP • WeightWatchers Filling & Healthy Values: 1PP

Preparation Time: 5 Minutes

Cooking Time: 10 Minutes

Serves: 2 

You Will Need:

250g Asparagus

2 Tbsp PB2 (or Peanut Butter but dietary calculations will be different)

1 Tbsp Water + Extra For Loosening

1/2 Tbsp Soy Sauce

1/2  Tsp Garlic Powder or 1/2  Garlic Clove Finely minced

10g Sesame Seeds

Chilli Flakes (Optional)

Method:

Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus

Steam for 3-4 Minutes until tender, (if you don’t have a steamer you can boil in water, but make sure you don’t overcook!)

Gently toast the sesame seeds in a non stick frying pan – until slightly golden brown

Add half to a mortar and pessle along with the garlic and the chilli if using lightly grind until all the seeds have popped open releasing their fab flavours

Make up the PB2 according to pack instructions (if not using this just add the peanut butter) , add to the sesame seeds, along with the soy sauce, if it is a little thick add a little more water until you get a mayonnaise type consistency

Remove the Asparagus from the pan, pour over the sauce and sprinkle the remaining sesame seeds on top.