Hey, y'all!

I am always on the lookout for quick and easy recipes I can make during the week.  I have been so busy lately (and yeah, okay....depressed) that I haven't been much of a cook.  In these times, I long for recipes that make leftovers I can use all week. (This recipes feeds 6 to 8 people.)

The following recipe is one I put together based on an Asian-inspired sauce I make for veggies and yakisoba noodles and this recipe for Thai peanut sauce.  I wanted to make my sauce a little bit different this time and decided on incorporating a peanut sauce into it.

I tried to write out the recipe so that it had an easy to follow flow.  Make sure you start the sauce around the same time you start sauteing the onions to ensure things get done around the same time.


Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 2 lb bag frozen Flav R Pac Caribbean Blend Veggies (Broccoli florets, yellow carrots, green beans, and red peppers)
- 1 lb frozen shrimp (the medium sized, cooked, deveined, and tail-off variety)
- 1 large sweet onion, chopped into medium-sized chunks
- 4 tbsp. minced garlic (we love garlic!)
- One 13.5-ounce can of coconut milk
- 3/4 cup Creamy peanut butter
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1/4 cup Soy sauce
- 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup Sugar
- 2 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp. Sriracha sauce (or some chili paste)
- Half an inch to an inch of fresh ginger, grated
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tsp. turmeric
- 2 tsp. smoked paprika
- fresh ground black pepper
- 2 lbs. Yakisoba noodles (I use Sun Luck pre-cooked noodles from a package I get at Costco, but you can cook yourself if you like.)
- Optional Garnish: Mandarin orange slices, chopped almonds, chopped peanuts, cilantro, green onions, shredded carrots

Directions
In a large pan on medium high heat, drizzle some olive oil and let it heat up.  Add the frozen veggies and frozen shrimp, put the top on the pan, and let the mixture thaw.  (About 15 minutes)  Drain mixture in a colander and return pan to the stove top.

Still on medium high heat, drizzle a couple tablespoons of olive oil in the pan and let it heat up.  Add onion to the oil and stir.  After about 3 to 5 minutes, add garlic and stir well.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are just starting to get translucent. {Now get the sauce started. Directions below.}

When onions are ready to go, turn heat down and add the veggie and shrimp mixture back to the pan.  Season with fresh cracked pepper, turmeric, and smoked paprika.  Add the noodles to the pot and stir well.  Let the mixture heat back up, about 10 minutes, and add sauce. 

Sauce Directions
While onions are cooking, use a medium sauce pan on medium low heat to make peanut sauce.  Add coconut milk, peanut butter, sesame oil, sugar, apple cider vinegar, Sriracha sauce or chili paste, grated ginger, soy sauce, and water to the saucepan. Whisk often and let sauce come to a gentle boil.  Let mixture simmer for 3-5 minutes over low heat.  Be careful not to let sauce burn on the bottom of the pan.  Add sauce to veggie/shrimp/noodle mixture and mix well.  Serve immediately.