P.B. Loco Sumatra Cinnamon & Raisin
Maranatha No Stir Crunchy
Appomattox Creamy
Peter Pan Whipped Creamy
food·ie [foo-dee]
-noun Slang.
in the age old question of whether one eats to live or lives to eat, a foodie is the latter.
[Origin: FOOD + -IE, in part extracted from JUNKIE
Depending on what part of the world you are from you may call them sweet potatoes or yams, but what I’m talking about here are the potatoes with the brown/red skin and are bright orange inside. Well these potatoes turned out ultra creamy, sweet and savory, and this recipe is gluten-free and vegan if you use a tofu cream cheese. What do you prefer: regular or sweet potatoes?
Ingredients:Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
2 sweet potatoes
2 Tbsp creamy natural peanut butter w/ salt
1/4 cup cream cheese or cottage cheese
2 Tbsp milk or almond milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp maple syrup, to taste
1/4 cup currants or raisins (optional)
8 large marshmallows (optional)
Instructions:
1. Wash the sweet potatoes, pat dry and bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour or until tender all the way through. I like to stick the stem of an all-metal spoon in the middle of the potatoes while they bake to help distribute the heat to the center.
2. Mix the remaining ingredients (except marshmallows, if using) in a medium bowl. Remove the potatoes once they are done and either cut completely in half or slit just enough to reach the insides while keeping the halves connected. Scoop out the insides and add to the bowl, trying to remove as much as possible while still preserving the skin. Stir everything until well mixed and make sure to scrape the bottom. Add more milk, as needed, to achieve desired consistency.
3. Scoop the contents back into the skins. If using marshmallows, cut them in half and place on top of the sweet potatoes now. Place the potatoes back in the oven for 5 minutes. If using marshmallows, switch the oven onto broil until the marshmallows are brown on top. Remove from the oven and serve!
Additional Info:
Other than the main baking time for the sweet potatoes, this is a very fast and simple dish to make. Add a touch of nutmeg or cloves for an extra kick, just be sure not to skimp on the cinnamon.
]]>It’s 3 months until Thanksgiving, and I already crave it. So I decided to do a small August Thanksgiving for the two of us. To minimize cooking time we kept the sides simple: Garlic-Almond Green Beans and Cheddar Mashed Cauliflower. Plus, we used the crockpot to cook the turkey breast. Crockpots are immensely useful, but I recently discovered that they also produce super-tender and delicious poultry. You can put a bone-in turkey breast or an entire chicken into a crockpot, with no liquid, and have incredibly juicy and succulent meat in 8 hours. Not only that, but you can even use a completely frozen turkey breast and it will still be done in 8 hours. You can use the leftover turkey for everything from enchiladas to soups, salads and chili. The turkey takes about 5 minutes of prep time, and the other dishes only took about 30 minutes of cooking. So go ahead and enjoy Thanksgiving in August!
Ingredients:Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
Directions:
1. Place the frozen turkey breast in a slow cooker (crockpot). Cover with salt, herbs de Provence and any other seasonings you desire. Turn on low for 8 hours. If you like browned skin, place the cooked turkey in an oven set to broil and watch closely until the skin is crispy.
2. Steam or microwave the cauliflower according to the instructions on the package. Add the cauliflower to a pot over low-medium heat and mash with a potato/bean masher until coarsely mashed. Add salt, pepper and milk to the pot and use an immersion blender (or dump into a food processor) to puree the mixture, adding more milk as necessary to reach desired consistency. Once it has been pureed, stir in the cheese.
3. Add 1 Tbsp olive to a pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic and almonds. Stir often and cook until the almonds and garlic are browned, but not burned. Add the green beans and stir to coat. Then add the chicken broth and stir, then turn the heat to low. Simmer until the liquid is mostly gone but the green beans are still a little crispy.
4. Saute the mushrooms in a saucepan over medium-high heat until fully cooked. Don’t drain the mushroom juice. Add the 2 cans of turkey gravy along with kosher salt, pepper and herbs de Provence, to taste. Bring to a boil and serve.
slow cooker roast beef (cut the recipe in half or use leftovers)
8oz whole wheat egg noodles
sliced mushrooms, corn, chopped potatoes (optional)
Directions:
1. Prepare the roast beef as per the slow cooker directions, adding any of the optional ingredients above while it’s cooking. When it’s finished (or with the leftovers), place the remaining beef onto a cutting board and pull it apart into strips. Place the gravy and its contents in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the shredded beef and egg noodles and reduce the heat to low and simmer until the noodles are done, about 7 minutes. Serve.
7 months. That’s how long it will take to finish my current stash of peanut butter assuming a consumption rate of 1 jar per week. Several events led to this perfect storm of peanut butter. First, I finally ordered some PB2, that powdered peanut butter I keep hearing so much about. Second, I recently received some samples from my good friend Katie at Naturally Nutty which led me to order several of my favorites. And last, I won the Peanut Butter & Co. Holiday Recipe Contest, the grand prize being a t-shirt, a book and one jar of each flavor. All of this on top of my regular stash brings me to a grand total of around 30 jars of the good stuff. So what’s my plan? To sample and review each and every flavor for the enjoyment of my fellow peanut butter lovers. Read on for the results…
The peanut butter storm has arrived. Listed alphabetically to avoid preferential treatment, enjoy the biggest peanut butter review, ever? What’s your favorite brand/flavor?
Bell Plantation PB2 ($3.99)
Best Yet Creamy ($2.99)
Naturally Nutty Vanilla Almond Butter ($9.99)
Naturally Nutty Butter Toffee Peanut Butter ($6.75)
Naturally Nutty Chocolate Butter Toffee PB ($6.75)
Naturally Nutty Honey Roasted Cinnamon PB ($6.75)
Naturally Nutty Sunflower Butter ($?.??)
P.B. Loco ($5.95 – $6.95) – I still have a few small jars remaining, for a review of their whole product line click here.
Peanut Butter & Co. Cinnamon Raisin Swirl ($6.00)
Peanut Butter & Co. Crunch Time ($5.00)
Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams ($6.00)
Peanut Butter & Co. Mighty Maple ($6.00)
Peanut Butter & Co. Smooth Operator ($5.00)
Peanut Butter & Co. The Bee’s Knees ($6.00)
Peanut Butter & Co. The Heat is On ($6.00)
Peanut Butter & Co. White Chocolate Wonderful ($6.00)
Teddie Natural Smooth Peanut Butter ($2.45)
Trader Joe’s Natural Creamy Peanut Butter ($1.79)
Trader Joe’s Organic Crunchy Peanut Butter ($2.99)
For all other peanut butter and product reviews, click on reviews on the sidebar or in the recipe index. Hope you enjoyed this mega peanut butter review!
Quick, while it’s still chilly, make some cozy foods! One of my favorites is Sweet Potato PB Casserole, but I wanted to try a different kind of squash dish. Butternut squash are easy to come by and simple to prepare (as long as you don’t have to peel them, like for Butternut Squash Fries). Baked, mashed and mixed with peanut butter, syrup and cinnamon was the obvious choice, and it tasted perfect the first time around. Toasted pecans only sweeten the deal.
1 (1.5-2 lb) butternut squash
3-4 Tbsp of creamy peanut butter (I used natural PB)
2-3 Tbsp maple syrup, to taste
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup milk, as needed
1/2 cup pecans
olive oil
salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil.
2. Slice the butternut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and cover the squash with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the two halves on the baking sheet, skin-side-up. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until fork-tender all the way through.
3. Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium heat, toast the pecans by shaking the pan every 20 seconds or so, until they are darker and become aromatic, but not burned.
4. When the squash is done, scoop the flesh into a sauce pan over low heat, add a little bit of milk, and mash with a potato masher. Add the peanut butter, maple syrup and cinnamon and mix. Continue to mix/mash, adding milk as necessary, until desired flavor and consistency are achieved. Spread the puree to form a flat surface in the pan, then top with pecans and serve.
Instructions:
1. Place chocolate in a microwave safe dish. Microwave on medium power for 45 seconds. Stir and continue to microwave on medium until melted, stirring every 10 seconds. When there are only a few chunks left, stir until it melts. Microwaving for too long will burn the chocolate.
2. Pour chocolate directly into peanut butter jar and stir until mixed. If you’re using a very dark chocolate, mix in a few pinches of sugar, to taste.
Here’s the finished product:
Everyone loves caramel, but did you know that it takes virtually no effort to make your own? The only pieces of equipment you need are a glass jar and a crockpot. Of course the only way to make caramel better is to add peanut butter and chocolate. The uses for this stuff is endless – ice cream topping, apple dip, toothpaste, oatmeal addition, cake frosting, shampoo…
Directions:
1. Open the can of sweetened condensed milk and pour it into the glass jar. Seal it tightly and place it in the crockpot standing upright. Fill the crockpot with as much water as possible; making sure it covers the top of the jar. Set the crockpot to Low for 8-10 hours, adding water as necessary to keep the water line above the jar.
2. Remove the jar from the crockpot and let it cool on the counter until it’s cool enough to handle. You should have this:
3. Place the chocolate in a bowl and microwave on medium heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally until just melted. Stir the melted chocolate and the peanut butter into the caramel.
20 oz lean ground turkey or chicken
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
3 Tbsp Thai chili paste (Maesri) or 2 Tbsp Thai curry paste
1 cucumber
2 broccoli crowns, chopped
3 Tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce
3 Tbsp of prepared ginger dressing (or other asian-style dressing)
2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 batch of Fast Peanut Sauce, prepared using only 1/2 cup of milk
5 hamburger buns
Roasted peanuts, to garnish
Directions:
1. Mix together the ground turkey, 1/4 cup of the cilantro and the chilli paste. Form into 5 patties and cook on a preheated grill or skillet for 3-5 minutes per side or until fully cooked.
2. Meanwhile, steam the broccoli in a steamer pot or in the microwave until tender but still firm. Make 20 very thin slices of cucumber and place them aside. Chop the rest of the cucumber into bite-sized pieces. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the sweet chili sauce, ginger dressing and soy sauce. Add the cooked broccoli and raw cucumber. Serve hot or cold.
3. Toast the buns, if desired, and spread peanut sauce onto each side. Place the cooked burgers on the bun, followed by the cucumber slices, remaining cilantro and chopped peanuts.
A lot of people love chocolate, but I really love chocolate. Every day I consume a substantial amount of dark chocolate with each cup of tea and coffee. I prefer my chocolate in rectangular prism form (bar), not in fancy little cubes or spheres. Flavored bars are acceptable, but it has to be a simple flavor like ginger, cocoa nib, almond or sea salt. But dark chocolate bars are already pretty expensive and the fancy flavors are even more expensive. For Christmas I got a 16oz bag of cocoa nibs but didn’t know what to do with them – I love them in chocolate bars but they’re a little too bitter by themselves. So I did what any self-respecting chocolate fiend would do – make his own chocolate! Using Trader Joe’s bargain-priced but high-quality Pound Plus chooclate bar, this batch of fancy chocolate turned out to be incredibly cheap and better tasting than any brand I’ve had.
Ingredients:Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
Directions:
1. Break up the dark chocolate into chunks and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the chocolate on MEDIUM heat (e.g. power level 5 out of 10) for 5 minutes. Stir the chocolate when there are 3 minutes remaining, then again when there are 2 minutes remaining, then every 30 seconds until the chocolate is just melted. Don’t overheat the chocolate or it will burn. If there are only a few solid chunks left, just keep stirring and the chocolate will melt on its own.
2. Add the cocoa nibs to the bowl and stir well. Pour the chocolate onto a rimmed baking sheet.
Note: The larger the baking sheet, the thinner the chocolate will be. I used a 12″x16″ baking sheet and didn’t fill the entire sheet, but the cocoa nibs prevented the chocolate from spreading too much anyways.
3. Let the chocolate cool at room temperature for 20 minutes then sprinkle the sea salt on top, as little or as much as you like. Now let the chocolate cool completely. I found that it’s best to let the chocolate set at a temperature between 50 and 60 degrees. If you’re house is too warm, it will take forever to cool (but it will set nicely). If you put it in the fridge it will set quickly but not as well (more dried out, tan-colored marks on the chocolate).
4. Break up into random sized chunks.
Before shot: