Chicken Satay with Peanut Dipping Sauce - Regular & Vegan

We all love this summer light dinner.  Yeah, I know it's not summer yet, but why not tantalize the taste buds early!  If you are a regular reader, you will notice I will always try to add a vegan version of a recipe.  Not only is this in deference to Lisa, Meg and Don, I want everyone to realize that cooking is always a fun experiment.  To make the Chicken Satay you will need:



A package of Chicken tenders (normally there are 8-10 tenders in a package) or a bag of Morning Star Farms Chicken Strips
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup low sodium Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1/2 cup reduced fat canned Coconut Milk
Peanut Dipping Sauce (recipe below)

1.)  In a large baggie, combine the first five ingredients.  Close the bag and squish the items around to coat the chicken.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

In the meantime, lets prepare the grilled potatoes as an accompaniment.  For this you will need:
1/2 a large Idaho potato per person
Paprika
Garlic powder
Salt & Pepper
Pam

Very Simple.  Cut the potatoes into 1/2 inch rounds.  Place in a microwave dish and microwave for about 4 minutes.  Check for doneness, you want the potatoes semi soft.  Keep adding a minute until you get that result.  Spray with Pam and sprinkle with the Paprika, Garlic Powder, Salt and Pepper.

2.)  For the regular version, soak your skewers in water for 15 minutes to prevent burning.  Then thread your skewers one tender per stick.  For the vegan version you will need a grill basket.  Spray this with Pam and add your Chicken strips.
3.)  Prepare your indoor or outdoor grill to medium to medium high heat.
4.)  When the grill is hot, put your skewers (or grill basket) and your prepared potatoes.  Grill the chicken and potatoes for at about 5 minutes per side checking for doneness. 

Serve this with a tossed salad and the Peanut Dipping Sauce.  For the Sauce you will need:
5 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
3 tablespoons hot water
2 1/2 tablespoons Chinese rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
3 teaspoons white granulated sugar

Whisk together all the ingredients.  Put in a sealed container and refrigerate for at least two hours.  This allows all the flavors to incorporated. 

You may need to thin the sauce with a little warm water before serving.

P.S....an awesome salad dressing for this is an Asian Sesame Salad dressing that is made simply by whisking:

1/4 cup vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, 1 tablespoon sesame seeds.  Seal tightly and refrigerate.