Today is the first day of classes at the University of Minnesota and I’m so glad to have all of the students back on campus. Last week we welcomed students from the class of 2018 to Magrath Library with a spectacular event featuring a photo booth, book spine poetry, video games, free plants, and grilled cheese cooked with an iron. I also had out a table with some of our cookbooks and handouts for students to take featuring recipes that can be made in a dorm room:

As a welcome to students new and returning, I’m sharing one of those recipes here — Mollie Katzen’s peanut sauce from The New Moosewood Cookbook. This recipe is, in my opinion, the perfect dorm food. It requires zero cooking and it’s incredibly versatile: drizzle it over your ramen noodles, use it as a dip for veggies or spring rolls, spice up your sandwich or wrap…

Chinese Peanut Sauce

Ingredients

1/2 cup good peanut butter
1/2 cup water
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. sugar
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. cider vinegar
1 to 2 Tbs. minced fresh cilantro
cayenne, to taste
salt, to taste (if peanut butter is unsalted)

Instructions

Place peanut butter in a small bowl. Add the hot water, and stir patiently with a spoon or a small whisk until uniformly mixed.
Stir in remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Let come to room temperature before serving.

By Mollie Katzen
Adapted from The New Moosewood Cookbook