Thai Shrimp in Coconut Peanut Sauce

I was looking for something light for dinner, and then remembered I had some leftover coconut milk in the refrigerator, some frozen shrimp, and some rice noodles.  I did some Internet searches, and came up with sort of a stir fried Thai Shrimp in Coconut Peanut Sauce.

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces jumbo shrimp, shell and tail on
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1 bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• ½ a large onion, peeled and sliced (about the same as the bell pepper amount)
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk 
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce (I used Worchester sauce as an emergency substitute) 
• 1 tablespoon Hoison sauce (optional)
• 3 tablespoons peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons lime juice 
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons basil leaves, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dry) 
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dry) 
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1 or more large handfuls baby spinach, chopped
• 8 ounces rice noodles (cooked separately, follow package instuctions)
• 1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped

Instructions:

1. As needed, peel and devein shrimp. (I needed to defrost mine in cool water, and then pat them dry.) 
2. Mix 1 tablespoon of the oil, garlic, kosher salt, and red chili flakes in a medium bowl.
3. Stir in the shrimp. Let then marinate for 10 minutes.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet.
5. Add the onion and peppers, cook about 5 minutes until the veggies are softened.
6. Transfer the peppers and onion to a bowl or plate. 
7. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet, and cook  shrimp for 2 minutes per side until opaque.
8. Transfer the shrimp to a plate. 
9. In another bowl, mix the coconut milk, fish sauce (or Worcester sauce), peanut butter, lime juice, brown sugar and ground ginger, basil and stir well. 
10. Transfer the cooked onion and peppers to the skillet and pour the coconut milk mixture into the peppers. 
11. Bring the sauce to almost a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. 
12. Add the shrimp and the spinach to the skillet and toss to coat. 
13. Serve over rice or noodles. Garnish chopped green onion or chopped dry roasted peanuts.

Carole's Notes:

We liked this, bur I plan to use 3 tablespoons peanut butter (as noted above) next time, and sprinkle on some chopped dry roasted peanuts.

The recipe was lightly adapted from http://www.foodiecrush.com/shrimp-in-thai-coconut-sauce/