Satay with Peanut-Ginger Ramen

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.

Virginia Woolf

 I'm still basking in the joy that is meal planning. I sure know how to make the mundane sound glamorous, no? There haven't been any duds lately, so my husband is swooning. I don't think he ever thought he'd see the day when he'd be greeted by a home cooked meal every night.

My burgeoning recipe rotation makes me so happy! Also, I've learned that Pinterest likes to bring me down a notch every now and then by enticing me with deliciously photographed dishes that scream waaa waaaaaa from our plates.

Here's my latest success, adapted from the September 2012 issue of Everyday Food magazine:

Chicken or Beef Satay with Peanut-Ginger Ramen

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
• 2 tablespoons lime juice, divided
• 1 3/4 teaspoons sugar, divided
• 2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger, divided
• 1 pound flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain (or thinly sliced chicken breast)
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• Vegetable oil, for grill
• 2 packages (3 ounces each) ramen, cooked according to package instructions (seasoning packet discarded)

Directions

1. Soak 12 wooden skewers in water, 15 minutes. In a shallow dish, whisk together 1 tablespoon each soy sauce and lime juice and 1 teaspoon each sugar and ginger. Add beef or chicken, toss, and let sit 10 minutes.
   
2. Meanwhile, in a blender, puree remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice, 3/4 teaspoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon ginger with peanut butter and 1/3 cup water. Season with remaining 1-2 Tbsp soy sauce.
   
3. Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Thread meat onto skewers. Clean and lightly oil hot grill. Grill until charred and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Toss ramen with peanut-ginger sauce. Serve with beef/chicken.

Note: I'm not a big beef person, so I'll be replicating this recipe with chicken in the future. Still, it was delicious! My local meat guy didn't have flank steak, so I substituted sirloin, sliced it thin, and served it the same way. To save time, I divided the meat among three metal skewers and each of us got our own. I served it with Trader Joe's chili-garlic edamame. Deeelish!