The Peanut Butter Boy

I've been meaning to post this one for a while. I've only made this recipe once before and almost forgot about it, but it was so good that it needed to be made again and with all of my friends coming to spend the night on July 4th, this seemed like the perfect time. As it turned out, this was the ultimate addition to our brunch the next day.

I made 2 different types, one with and one without chocolate chunks. I did this because some people don't like dark chocolate or at least not as much as I. Not only did the loaf with chocolate chips rise more, but it was the perfect addition to the bread, rounding out the flavor on the palette. Everyone agreed that the chocolate chip loaf was superior.

For a while I've been trying to concoct a portable healthy breakfast for days when I'm in a rush, with limited success. But as I was chomping down half a loaf, I realized that I had finally discovered the perfect breakfast to go. Banana bread in general can be a fairly healthy treat, but this one packs a nutritious punch.

The bread is sweetened with only brown sugar, contains no butter, and uses 100% whole grain flour (whole wheat pastry flour to be exact, sorry to the gluten-free readers!). And this bread needs nothing to accompany it. I tried it with plain peanut butter, cinnamon raisin peanut butter, plain cream cheese, cinnamon raisin cream cheese and lastly butter. The butter was the best, but I liked it plain even more. I recommend making these a day ahead of time because they become even more moist and delicious. Just slice it up and microwave each slice for about 7 seconds. It also freezes wonderfully.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar (1/2 cup is sweet enough for me)
1T baking powder
3/4t salt
1/4t cinnamon
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium)
1 cup skim milk
3/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter w/ salt
1t vanilla extract
1/4 cup egg substitute (or 1 egg)
100g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans (or muffin tins).

2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In a medium bowl, combine mashed bananas, milk, peanut butter, vanilla and egg.

3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir just until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.

4. Split evenly between the two pans and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Additional Info:

A few tips: Spoon the flour into the measuring cup, don't dig the cup into the bag. Doing so can result in using up to 40% more flour! Also make sure the bananas are very ripe, mostly brown on the outside or at least half covered in brown spots. 2 medium bananas should work perfect for this recipe and to mash them, just place them in a bowl and use the back of a fork until a fine puree is achieved.

The original recipe comes from The Recipe Girl, I just modified it to suit my fancy.

Labels: banana, breakfast, chocolate, peanut butter

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Posted by Nick on Jul 16, 2008 | Post a Comment | Comments | Permalink | Links to this post

This is a first for me. Never have I ever made cupcakes. I don't bake often because I generally don't eat sweets, I often eat too much during a meal to fit dessert in. However, the most recent Peanut Butter Exhibition for (Cup)Cakes required a Peanut Butter Boy entry. Speaking of which, the deadline for entries is June 30th @ Noon (PST), giving you one last weekend to submit your entry! So plan ahead for this weekend and get baking!

Cupcakes are much more interesting than cake, in my mind. I know cupcakes are meant to be indulgent, but I wanted to attempt a slightly more nutritious version. At first, I wasn't going to make them healthier, but the better half of me couldn't resist - plus, I see it as a challenge. And since I'm home in NY for a bit, I had my mother help. She has a lot more baking experience than I, but very little with cupcakes. With no prior cupcake experience, I needed a recipe with which to modify. I found a great looking recipe for Peanut Butter-Banana Cupcakes at Visions of Sugar Plum. Given the planned modifications, I cut the recipe in half in case my attempt yielded dog food.

The frosting magically came together on the first try. All in all, I consider these "adult" cupcakes. First reason being that I meant to add amaretto to the batter, but forgot. Second reason is that they are not overly sweet, you can actually taste the cake and the frosting separately. With most cupcakes I've had, the cake is just a base for a monster glob of frosting. I wanted the frosting to be just a tad sweeter than the cake but also compliment it. These cupcakes are a little more refined and quite a bit healthier.

One note about the frosting: I used store brand regular peanut butter, not the natural stuff. First off, anyone familiar with my site knows that the only peanut butter I use is Trader Joe's natural creamy w/ salt. But the stuff is so runny that there was no chance of the frosting holding together. Instead, I used America's Choice (store brand) peanut butter, which is much tastier than Skippy and the others, but uses fully hydrogenated oil (no trans fat) instead of partially hydrogenated (trans fatty).

Aright...on to the good stuff...

Ingredients:

Cake

1/2+1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons creamy natural peanut butter
1 tablespoon Smart Balance
6T firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup egg substitute (equivalent of 1 egg)
1/4 cup + 2T finely mashed ripe banana (1 medium)
1/4 cup + 2T skim milk

Frosting

3/4 cup nonfat cream cheese
1/4 cup peanut butter (not natural)
6T confectioner's sugar

Instructions:

1. Make the frosting by whipping the cream cheese and peanut butter together until very creamy. You can use an electric mixer to add fluffiness, but I used a fork. Add the sugar and mix well. Taste frosting and add extra sugar if desired. Place in the refrigerator, covered.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift or whisk together the first four ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. Using a mixer, cream the butter, sugar and peanut butter in a large bowl until well mixed. Add the eggs, vanilla and mashed banana and beat for another minute. Gradually add the flour mixture and milk alternately. Mix well.

3. Divide batter evenly into 6 muffin cups lined with muffin papers. Bake for 21-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

4. Remove muffins from the pan after about 10 minutes and let cool completely before icing. We had a decorative icing kit, but you can use a knife or a plastic bag with a small hole cut in the corner to pipe it on.

Additional Info:

The cupcakes were good. The flavors were right on but the cake was a tiny bit chewy. I only had a very small banana which may have contributed. but the chewiness wasn't bad and actually provided a neat texture. Next time I may add a bit of applesauce, and also add some chopped walnuts to the batter for some crunch.

One of the cupcakes below is different, can you tell which one? I chopped up some organic 70% chocolate and mixed the chocolate into the batter for that one cupcake. A combination of banana, peanut butter, cream cheese and chocolate? That reminds me of something...

Labels: banana, chocolate, dessert, PBE, peanut butter

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Posted by Nick on Jun 26, 2008 | Post a Comment | Comments | Permalink | Links to this post

Due to popular request (one person even "pretty pleased with peanut butter on top"), feast your eyes on this. No, your eyes aren't deceiving you, that's only one sandwich. A super-loaded jam-packed (literally) monstrosity, but a sandwich nonetheless. How did this happen? In short, I ran out of meat. I woke up one morning and realized I had no meat in the fridge, thereby unable to make my usual lunch wrap of either turkey or roast beef, cheese, shredded cabbage and spicy peanut butter or honey mustard.

As with all things in life, peanut butter came to the rescue. But just one peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a piece of fruit isn't a big enough meal for the peanut butter boy. Two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches would have done the trick, but that's a little boring and it's just too much bread. And why constrain myself? Judging from my peanut butter collection I've got enough variety, so why choose only one flavor?

Not only was this sandwich a feast fit for a king, it was a feast for the nose and eyes as well. The smell of it coming out of my bag was extraordinarily enticing and just look at that monument of a sandwich - it makes your mouth and eyes water! What's your take?

Ingredients:

3 slices soft whole grain bread
1T Honey Roasted Peanut Butter
1T creamy or crunchy natural peanut butter
1T apricot jelly
1T strawberry jelly
1/2 banana, in 1/4" slices

Instructions:

Spread the Honey Roasted Peanut Butter on one slice of bread. Spread the apricot jelly on one side of another slice of bread and put the two slices together. Spread the strawberry jelly on the newly formed sandwich and top with banana slices. Spread the plain peanut butter on the last slice of bread and place on top. Cut in half normally or diagonally if you're feeling adventurous.


Additional Info:

Get creative with this one. There wasn't much rhyme or reason to my sandwich except that I wanted every layer to be unique and contribute a different texture. I'd love to see some of your suggestions/creations/pictures for the ultimate double decker peanut butter sandwich.

By the way, I've been a little slow in responding to comments recently. I've been busy the past few weekends in Napa and helping my girlfriend move along with a lot of schoolwork, but it should be back to normal soon and I'll be more on top of it!

* Side note: I realize that some people may have a slight problem with the way that I leave comments on their blogs. Before I joined the blogging scene I used to be a part of numerous forums where everyone left a "signature", meaning a favorite quote, their website, a picture, etc... When I leave comments, I still have a habit of signing them with "Peanut Butter Boy" and making it a link to my website, not to mention I have two names: Nick and Peanut Butter Boy so I wanted to get them both across =). I apologize if some people disagree with this, I will stop. I'm not trying to steal traffic and don't want to come off as rude!

Labels: banana, fiber, honey, lunch, peanut butter

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Posted by Nick on May 11, 2008 | Post a Comment | Comments | Permalink | Links to this post

I did it. I gave in. I caved. I bought a jar of Skippy, the epitome of heavily processed, trans fatty goo and my least favorite brand of peanut butter. The only saving grace was that I didn't buy the original variety, which I think tastes over-processed, pasty and awful. [As a side note, I recently saw a food network tidbit about an independent company that rates commercially available foods and awards the winning company a gold label which they can proudly display on their product. Somehow, Skippy managed to win best tasting peanut butter, which leads me to believe that the test is rigged.]

The other day I was discussing peanut butter flavors in the comments section of Honey Roasted Peanut Butter and was reminded of the honey roasted flavor that Skippy makes. I used to keep a jar of crunchy honey roasted in my desk drawer at work. While I never liked plain Skippy, I refused to put the honey roasted Skippy on anything because it tasted so good by itself. I ate about 1/4 of the jar every day with a spoon, wishing that the jar was just a little bit deeper.

While I was in the store the other day gathering ingredients for the pie you see above, I realized that Trader Joe's peanut butter was very runny (some jars even more so than others) and might not be the best choice for this recipe. I planned on using it anyways, but I decided to scope out the peanut butter aisle just in case something was on sale. Lo and behold, honey roasted Skippy was on sale for $2.50 a jar. Not as cheap as Trader Joe's but not a bad price at all. Before I could even compute the price difference, the jar was in my basket. I proceeded to the nearest checkout, returned home and dug in. While I think my version of Honey Roasted Peanut Butter is superior, there is definitely something to be said for Skippy's version.

So I think it's time to take stock. As you can imagine, I've got a good bit of peanut butter in my kitchen. To be exact, my cabinet currently contains the following:

1 jar creamy honey roasted Skippy
1/4 jar Crunchy Honey Roasted Peanut Butter
1/4 jar Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter
1/2 jar Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter
1/6 jar Maple Peanut Butter
1/2 jar *secret flavor* peanut butter (to be continued...)
1/8 jar Wild Oats creamy peanut butter (not as good as Trader Joe's)
5 1/2 jars Trader Joe's creamy peanut butter (5 unopened)
1 1/2 jars Trader Joe's crunchy peanut butter (1 unopened)
1 jar almond butter

So I had my pick of which to use for this recipe. As it turns out, I used two different peanut butters this time around (including my new acquisition), each playing a different role.

Ingredients:

Crust:
2 1/2 cups crumbs, Puffins Peanut Butter Cereal
6T Skippy honey roasted peanut butter (any brand should work)
~1/4 cup water, as needed

Filling:

1 banana, 1/8" slices
2 packages (1 oz each) fat free instant chocolate pudding
2 cups skim milk, cold
16oz fat free cream cheese
2T honey (an afterthought, optional)
2oz dark chocolate, melted (an afterthought, optional)
Peanut butter, to drizzle

Instructions:

1. Place cereal (another cereal or graham crackers can be substituted) into a food processor or blender and process until fine crumbs are formed. Place the 2 1/2 cups crumbs into a large mixing bowl. Add the peanut butter and knead the mixture with your hands until well combined. Add the water, 1T at a time, until the mixture begins to stick together and a pie crust can be formed. Place mixture into a 9" pie plate and press down and around the sides to form a pie crust. Refrigerate for about 2 hours until crust has hardened and formed.

2. Place sliced bananas on top of the crust as depicted below and drizzle melted chocolate on top (if using):



3. In a small bowl, whip the cream cheese with a spoon until very creamy. In a large bowl, whisk the pudding powder and honey (if using) into 2 cups of cold milk until combined. Add the cream cheese to the pudding mixture and whisk until well mixed. Pour into pie shell and refrigerate for 1 hour. You will have extra filling, so either eat it all like I did, or pour into custard cups and refrigerate.

4. When it's ready to serve, get out your creamiest, runniest peanut butter (or microwave a small dish of it for 20 seconds) and scoop out about 1tsp with a knife and drizzle on top of each slice. Trader Joe's creamy natural peanut butter works best here.

Additional Info:

Final verdict: delicious! The crust was a little bit mushy, not in a bad way, but it is to be expected from a non-baked crust. It scooped out of the pie dish very well and never collapsed or made a mess. My version didn't have the added honey or dark chocolate because it was perfectly sweet for me, but some people might like it sweeter. The sliced bananas add a nice touch, but make sure to slice them very thin. Instead of or in addition to the peanut butter drizzle, a spray of whipped cream goes very well with this dessert.

Health factor: While I didn't computer the nutritional info, look at the ingredients and just picture what you're eating. In 1/8 of the pie, you'll be consuming about a half serving of a whole grain cereal, 1T of peanut butter and a serving of fat free pudding made from skim milk and fat free cream cheese. The filling alone is a great source of protein and along with cereal and a little peanut butter, this truly is not just a dessert. I had a large slice as part of my second lunch the other day. Considering how healthy this pie is, it is certainly a keeper. Now you can have your pie and your waistline too!

Labels: banana, breakfast, chocolate, dessert, peanut butter, protein, snack

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Posted by Nick on Apr 9, 2008 | Post a Comment | Comments | Permalink | Links to this post

Update: Recipe entered into the Gluten Free Finger Foods roundup.

Today is a national holiday, do you know which one? April 2nd, for whatever reason, is national peanut butter & jelly day. I had almost forgotten, when A. Grace reminded me in a comment on my Peanut Butter & Jelly Oatmeal post. But instead of having oatmeal for breakfast like I normally do, I had already planned to make pancakes. I wanted to experiment a little bit and try some new things but there is no jelly involved, I apologize! Although I did manage to sneak in an Oatmeal Apricot Bar later on to get my PB&J fix. You can see in the above photo, which I must say turned out really well, I made the pancakes three different ways for comparison (which one do you think LOOKS the best?). I'm also using fresh berries instead of the defrosted frozen ones I used previously.

In order to make up for my lack of jelly usage, I decided to make this post extra special by posting two recipes, one being a slightly modified version of an old favorite and the other being a brand new peanut butter flavor! I was inspired from a post by Kristina over at The Chocolate Peanut Butter Gallery, revealing two new Peanut Butter & Co peanut butter flavors. One they blatantly stole from me (peanut butter + honey), so the other I'm stealing from them. Not to mention that this new flavor goes perfect on these scrumptious pancakes which have now been enhanced! Happy Peanut Butter & Jelly Day everybody!

Ingredients:

Pancakes:
1 cup oats
1 cup fat free cottage cheese w/ salt
3/4 cup egg substitute (or 3 eggs)
2 bananas
berries

Maple Peanut Butter:
1 jar (2 cups) creamy natural peanut butter
2T real maple syrup

Instructions:

1. To make pancake batter blend oats, cottage cheese, eggs and 1 banana in a blender until smooth and creamy. To make peanut butter, pour maple syrup into the jar and stir until well mixed. Slice remaining banana into 1/8" slices and set aside.

2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Once warm, spray three spots of the pan with cooking spray. Place about 2T of batter in each spot and spread out with the back of a spoon to thin, if desired. Place 3 slices of banana in each pancake and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Once the top starts to set, flip and cook for an additional minute.

3. Spread on the Maple Peanut Butter and top with fresh sliced berries.

Additional Info:

I compared the original pancakes (no additional banana) with ones embedded with banana slices and ones with banana simply on top. There was no comparison, baking the banana into the pancake added a wonderful baked banana flavor and added extra moisture and sweetness into each bite.

The peanut butter recipe can be easily halved or cut into 6 for that matter. I didn't want to make an entire jar of maple peanut butter so I mixed 1/3 cup peanut butter with 1t maple syrup. The only problem here was that I bought an entire jar of maple syrup for 1 teaspoon. Still, the jar of maple peanut butter costs $6 from Peanut Butter & Co. If I make two jars of maple peanut butter then the maple syrup has more than payed for itself. Take that Peanut Butter & Co!

Maxed out version:

Labels: banana, breakfast, dessert, peanut butter, protein

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Posted by Nick on Apr 2, 2008 | Post a Comment | Comments | Permalink | Links to this post

Weekends are a time for sleeping in, watching a movie and unwinding. But the most important aspect of the weekend is brunch. This is no time for a bowl of soggy Cheerios, this is a time to celebrate and do nothing simultaneously! What better way to celebrate your empty schedule for the day than with a crispy, chewy, salty, sweet and satisfying meal.

Hitting all those taste buds at once requires a certain finesse, especially when certain criteria are required. There's a reason we're not going to a greasy diner, we're after delicious home-cooked food that's also nutritious.

To start, I nominate peanut butter for saltiness. Then perhaps some toast for a crispy texture. Now peanut butter on toast ain't so bad but we need to hit all those senses. A delicate chewiness should probably come from eggs. And last but not least, the sweetness. It's brunch time and we deserve a treat so let's use 2 sugar sources: bananas and maple syrup. This is sounding like a winning combo to me...

Ingredients:

2 slices soft whole wheat bread
1/3 cup skim or soymilk
1/4 cup egg substitute (or 2 egg whites or 1 egg)
1t sugar
6-8 shakes cinnamon

1 banana, in 1/4" slices
1T creamy natural peanut butter
drizzle of real maple syrup

Instructions:

1. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Mix together milk, egg, cinnamon and sugar in a bowl. Dip each slice of bread in the bowl and flip over to soak both sides.

2. Spray skillet with cooking spray and add the soaked bread. Flip after 2-3 minutes, or when the bottom is browned and crispy. Cook for an additional 2 minutes. The bread has browned enough once it looks like a toasty foreign landscape as shown below.

3. Spread a thin layer of peanut butter on each slice of french toast and place banana slices on top. Drizzle with maple syrup and a few shakes of cinnamon.

Additional Info:

Peanut butter plays a dual role in this recipe: it secures the toppings to the toast substrate, and it's salty deliciousness contrasts perfectly with the maple syrup!

Labels: banana, breakfast, fiber, honey, peanut butter

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Posted by Nick on Mar 13, 2008 | Post a Comment | Comments | Permalink | Links to this post

Update: I am entering this controversial recipe into Naomi's Go Ahead Honey Its Gluten Free! event for May, 2008. No modification necessary, gluten-free by nature!

I awoke the morning of Thursday, March 6th with a rumbling belly and a well-rested mind. I got on my comfy pants (my term for loungewear that meet precies specifications) and ventured to the kitchen to cook my standard PB&J Oatmeal. On the journey, I remembered that I had a carton of Eggbeaters in the fridge. I had only used 1 tsp of them in the past few days (I was trying out a new cookie recipe that I shall post soon) and needed to use them before they went bad.

An omelette (also spelled "omelet", did you know that?) was the obvious solution but the only omelette-esque ingredient I had on hand was some cheese. And while a cheese omelette is good, it's not nearly as good as the ones at IHOP. Speaking of which, IHOP makes a mean & customizable omelette with egg whites or Eggbeaters that I normally order stuffed with vegetarian black bean chili, spinach, mushrooms and all kinds of other veggies.

But back to my omelette. My usual breakfast contains peanut butter so I wanted to incorporate it into the omelette somehow. Well something else was needed and the obvious choice: banana. So I sliced me up some banana into the eggs and lathered on some peanut butter and voila! A culinary masterpiece!

Ingredients:

2-3 eggs (4-6 egg whites or 1/2 - 3/4 cup Eggbeaters)
1 banana, in slices
2T chunky or creamy natural peanut butter
pinch of sugar

Instructions:

1. Place a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Spray with cooking spray and pour in the eggs.

2. Sprinkle some sugar into the eggs and place sliced bananas into pan as demonstrated below:



3. Lift the sides of the omelette up to allow the still-liquid eggs to flow underneath and cook. After a few minutes, flip the omelette over with a large spatula.

4. Spread a generous coating of peanut butter onto one half of the omelette as shown below. Fold the omelette over and allow to cook for another minute. Flip it onto the other side for one last minute and serve!



Additional Info:

Yes it's a very different flavor combo than you're probably used to. But it's also surprisingly tasty! I normally enjoy my eggs with ketchup but I don't think it works in this situation. But a nice strawberry or apricot jelly might work well as a dipping sauce, though I cleaned my plate before I thought of that.

Labels: banana, breakfast, honey, peanut butter, protein

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Posted by Nick on Mar 7, 2008 | Post a Comment | Comments | Permalink | Links to this post

I've heard several rumors circulating the internet about "healthy" brownies. Several sources that I discovered claim that you can buy a standard brownie mix from the store, ignore the required ingredients (oil, eggs, etc..) and simply add a can of pureed black beans. Everyone seems to say they cannot tell the difference and apparently even children who are clueless to the contents love them. Either way, store-bought brownie mix contains heavily processed flour and sugar which certainly aren't good for you, although I will have to try this at some point (perhaps with the No Pudge brownie mix).

The brownies before your eyes are a different kind of experiment. Back when I was looking up peanut butter cookie recipes and making my Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies, I discovered an obscure comment from "Anonymous" who claimed that the simple addition of an extra egg, mashed banana and cocoa powder would yield delicious brownies. I was intrigued, but the exact quantities were a little vague. I followed them as best I could and lo and behold, a form of flourless brownies was born.

Now, these brownies are a bit different and definitely need fixing. I decided to post my results and see if anyone has suggestions for my next batch or wants to experiment on their own. I see great potential here but I am not an experienced baker and don't feel like wasting 47 bananas and 28 jars of peanut butter to figure these out =).

Here's what I did:

Ingredients:

Test Recipe (Changes Needed):

1 cup creamy natural peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1 very ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup egg substitute (or 2 eggs)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1t vanilla

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix peanut butter, honey, banana, eggs and vanilla in a bowl. Add cocoa powder and mix well.

2. Pour batter into an ungreased 9x9 baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Results:

1. The brownies came out too "eggy" and had a sponge-like texture
2. The flavor of chocolate was not very pronounced.
3. They were sweet enough.
4. The brownies got better with time. After letting them sit in a tupperware for a few hours, they got very moist and the egg flavor/sponge texture started to disappear. They were even better the next day (but still not wonderful).

I think the 2 eggs were necessary for rising and baking, but other additions are needed. From my limited baking experience, I suggest the following:

Increase cocoa powder to 1/2 cup.
Add a second mashed banana.
Add 1/2 cup light yogurt.

Maybe these additions well keep the brownie dense to begin with while keeping it moist? Perhaps I need some flour (1/3 - 1/2 cup)? Any thoughts/suggestions?

Labels: banana, chocolate, dessert, peanut butter

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Posted by Nick on Mar 5, 2008 | Post a Comment | Comments | Permalink | Links to this post

Ahh, the smoothie... What could be more satisfying then a big frosty glass of a thick and creamy drink that tastes almost as sinful as Ben & Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie Chunk Ice Cream. On a hot summer day (or a cold rainy one like today), there is nothing more refreshing than a smoothie for lunch or perhaps lunch #2.

If you Google the term "smoothie" you'll receive about 9,000,000 results and you can bet that each page has at least a couple recipes. So what's the perfect smoothie? The beauty of the smoothie is that there is no perfect smoothie, each person can customize it to their taste. To start off, however, here is my basic criteria: it must be cold, and it must contain peanut butter. From that wonderful starting point, I've created a great smoothie base that is very adaptable to suit your fancy.

Healthy? You bet! These smoothies have no added sugar, contain plenty of fiber, vitamins and nutrients: All without using ice. Don't be afraid to experiment, you can throw almost anything (edible, of course) into that blender without drastically affecting the taste (see "Could" Additions).

Ingredients:

Base:

1 frozen banana (freeze in plastic wrap without peel)
1 (6oz) container light yogurt, any flavor
1 handful frozen strawberries (or other frozen fruit)
milk (skim, soy, almond or fruit juice)

"Must" Additions:

2T peanut butter
1 handful frozen wild blueberries, cherries, etc..

"Should" Additions:

2-3T cocoa powder
1-2 scoops vanilla protein powder
1t cinnamon

"Could" Additions:

2T flax seed, wheat germ, wheat bran, etc...
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (omit yogurt)
3/4 cup non-fat cottage cheese (omit yogurt)
3/4 cup pumpkin mousse (recipe coming soon!)
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 multivitamin

Toppings (Get a small dish and mix any of these together):

1/2 cup high fiber cereal (I mix Kashi Go Lean and Go Lean Crunch)
10-15 almonds
1 handful dried fruit
3 broken-up Peanut Butter Cookies

Instructions:

1. Break banana into chunks and place all ingredients into blender except for milk/juice. Pulse until the motley of goodness begins to chop up. Slowly add milk/juice as needed.

2. When your mixture reaches the consistency of frozen yogurt, you're done! Pour into a large mug, sprinkle with toppings and eat with a spoon.

3. Sprinkle, eat, repeat.

Additional Info:

Strawberries are a better base than mixed berries because they are naturally sweeter. The cocoa powder gives a wonderful chocolate flavor and adds tons of antioxidants as well as some fiber and protein. Surprisingly, adding the cottage cheese and pumpkin had no discernible effect on the flavor. Experiment and leave a comment with your results!

Most Recent "Perfect" Smoothie:

1 frozen banana
1 (6oz) container light vanilla yogurt
8 frozen strawberries
2T creamy natural peanut butter
2-3T cocoa powder
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder (optional)
1/2 cup vanilla soymilk, as needed

This smoothie turned out the perfect consistency - about that of frozen yogurt. I topped it with Kashi cereal and ate it with a spoon. Leave out the protein if you don't want it.

Labels: banana, breakfast, chocolate, dessert, fiber, lunch, peanut butter, peanut butterless, protein, snack

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Posted by Nick on Feb 25, 2008 | Post a Comment | Comments | Permalink | Links to this post

My life is an enigma: Peanut butter is my favorite food but Mexican and Japanese are my favorite cuisines. I've been to plenty of Mexican restaurants and have never seen peanut butter in any dish, a deficiency that I am currently working on. It's difficult to incorporate peanut butter into Mexican cooking but considering I cook Mexican food all the time, I am confident that inspiration will strike eventually.

The same goes for Japanese cuisine: I have yet to find a dish that contains peanut butter. The difference here is that I don't cook Japanese food at home so I fear I may never experience the combination of the two. I love sushi and can't get enough of it, but I would rather enjoy professionally made sushi rolls at a restaurant. However, while posting alternative ways to make a Peanut Butter Hot Dog, I had a revelation!

The geoduck (pronounced "gooey duck") is a species of clam and considered a delicacy in China and Japan (more info here: Geoduck). They sell for about $30 per lb and can be eaten cooked or raw sashimi style. The geoduck also starred on the Dirty Jobs TV show a while ago. Now, guess what that pale oblong substance running through the center is in the picture above?

Ingredients:

1 (8") soft whole wheat tortilla
2T creamy natural peanut butter
1 banana (or geoduck)
1T currants or raisins
cinnamon
honey

Instructions:

1. Spread a thin layer of peanut butter across the entire tortilla, leaving about 1/4" gap at the edge. Shake cinnamon on top of the peanut butter. Bend/mush the banana in an attempt to straighten it and place in the middle of the tortilla. Roll up the tortilla tightly and leave seam-side down on the plate.

2. Cut into 8 pieces with a small pairing knife. Drizzle honey across the top in a zig-zag pattern so that some lands on the plate too. Place the currants on top of the roll and shake cinnamon on top.

3. Final and most important step: eat with chopsticks.

Additional Info:

I didn't use Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter because I wanted it to roll up nicely. However, I do recommend trying it with Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter and replacing the currants with chopped dried cherries.

Labels: banana, chocolate, cinnamon raisin, lunch, peanut butter, snack

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Posted by Nick on Feb 24, 2008 | Post a Comment | Comments | Permalink | Links to this post

I recently submitted my peanut butter hot dog recipe to Allrecipes.com, a recipe site I use often for ideas and jump-off points. Apparently, every submitted recipe goes through a review process and even if it is accepted, it can take several months to appear on the site. Well, the peanut butter hot dog slipped through in under 2 weeks! You can view it here: Peanut Butter Hot Dogs.

The excitement provoked me to post some optional additions and modifications to the traditional peanut butter hot dog.

Modifications:

Original Style
2 slices soft whole wheat bread
2T cinnamon raisin peanut butter
1 banana
drizzle of honey (optional)
shake of cinnamon (optional)
strawberry jelly (optional)

Prepare like normal. Spread peanut butter onto each slice of bread and place half of a banana down the middle of each slice as shown above. Fold up and place any optional ingredients on top of the banana.

Mexican Style
1 (8in) low carb tortilla
2T cinnamon raisin peanut butter
1 banana
grape or strawberry preserves
pinch of chipotle or cayenne pepper (optional)
light vanilla or strawberry yogurt (optional)

Burrito: Spread peanut butter on one half of tortilla. Place banana on edge of the plain side and roll up. Consume, pack to go, or toast in a pan.

Quesadilla: Spread peanut butter on one half of the tortilla. Slice the banana into 1/4" slices and arrange on top of the peanut butter half. Sprinkle chipotle or cayenne powder onto bananas if using. Fold tortilla over and spray the top with cooking spray. Toss into a pan (top-side down) on medium-high heat and coat the new top in cooking spray. Flip after about 45 seconds, or until toasted. After another 30 seconds, remove from pan and cut into four wedges. Dip into fruit preserves or yogurt to cool the spiciness.

Appetizer
2 slices soft whole wheat bread
2T cinnamon raisin peanut butter
1 banana
cinnamon

Toast bread in the toaster. Slice the banana into 1/4" slices while toasting. When bread is medium-dark brown cover each slice with peanut butter and top with banana slices. Shake cinnamon on top and cut into squares, one for each banana slice. Stick toothpicks into the top of each bite and serve.

Petits Fours Dessert
2 slices soft whole wheat bread
2T dark chocolate peanut butter (milk or white chocolate would work)
1 banana
shredded coconut
cocoa powder

Toast bread in the toaster. Slice the banana into 1/4" slices while toasting. When bread is medium-dark brown cover each slice with peanut butter and top with banana slices. Sprinkle shredded coconut over the top and shake cocoa powder on top. Cut into squares, one for each banana slice. Stick toothpicks into the top of each bite and serve.

Additional Info:

I hope you enjoy these modified versions. Leave a comment with any suggestions or modifications of your own.

Labels: banana, breakfast, chocolate, cinnamon raisin, dessert, honey, lunch, peanut butter, snack

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Posted by Nick on Feb 5, 2008 | Post a Comment | Comments | Permalink | Links to this post

February Update: I've created an awesome new flavor: Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter & Peach

As promised, here is that muffin recipe I was so excited about. Was my excitement unfounded? Hardly. I originally stumbled upon the recipe at Farmgirl Fare's blog and got immediately excited because they appear to closely replicate the Trader Joe's muffins. I made the Banana Blueberry variation with near-complete success. I originally intended to make the Ginger Pear variety but I didn't have time to let the pears ripen and I was getting impatient. I barely made any modifications to this recipe, except to make it just a tad healthier. The recipe goes a little something like this...

Ingredients:

2 cups wheat bran
1 cup oat bran
1 cup whole wheat flour
2t baking soda
1t baking powder
1/2t salt
1/2 cup egg substitute
2/3 cup skim milk
2/3 cup (6oz container) vanilla yogurt
3T canola oil (or unsweetened applesauce)
1/3 cup honey
3T molasses
2-3 very ripe small bananas, mashed with fork
1 1/2 cups frozen wild blueberries

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin tin with muffin cups or grease the tin.

2. Combine wheat bran, oat bran, whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Combine egg substitute, milk, yogurt, oil, molasses, honey and mashed bananas in a medium bowl.

3. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well. Rinse any ice off of the blueberries and fold them into the batter.

4. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling to the top and making a mound on top (they won't overflow too much). Bake for 27-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Makes 14 muffins.

The muffins turned out delicious but very moist: a little too moist in fact. I actually used the original 1/3 cup canola oil but would recommend reducing the quantity to 3T or less. When made with 1/3 cup canola oil, each muffin has the following nutrition information:

Servings: 14 muffins
Serving size: 1 muffin

Calories: 190
Fat: 6.5g
Carbohydrates: 33.5g
Fiber: 6.7g
Sugar: 12.5g
Protein: 5.5g

They are great when heated in the toaster or toaster oven and topped with peanut butter. To decrease the moisture, I'll replace the oil with peanut butter or applesauce and report my findings! Stay tuned!

Labels: banana, breakfast, cinnamon raisin, fiber, peanut butter, snack

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Posted by Nick on Jan 28, 2008 | Post a Comment | Comments | Permalink | Links to this post

Trader Joe's is hands down my favorite grocery store. While I can't get everything I need, there are so many healthy, organic and delicious products that I just can't get enough of that place. On a recent trip to Trader Joe's, I discovered their bran muffins. Each of these monster muffins provides a whopping 8-12g fiber, 6-8g protein and 5-6g good fats. Overall, they clock in at only 240-300 calories per muffin. These are the quintessential muffins or at least what muffins were originally intended for: a healthy baked treat, moist and slightly sweet, but provides your body with energy and essential nutrients.

For example, the ingredients for the Berry Mango Bran Muffin are the following: Water, White Grape Blend concentrate, Wheat bran, Whole wheat flour, Blueberries, Mango, Cranberries, Canola Oil, Sodium Bicarbonate, Salt.

While they are about $1 each, they truly are an entire meal. I usually eat a decked out muffin for my second lunch (yes, I have two). So how does one go about consuming one of these gems?

Ingredients:

1 bran muffin from Trader Joe's
2T cinnamon raisin peanut butter (plain or chocolate is fine too)
1/2 banana, in 1/4" slices
2T reduced sugar jelly from Trader Joe's (optional)

Instructions:

1. Slice muffin into thirds. Eat any crumbs that don't make the cut.

2. Place in toasting device until very toasty.

3. Lather on the peanut butter and top with banana slices. Spread jelly on top of banana slices.



Now, after sharing this recipe, I realize that some people find it too dry with just peanut butter and bananas. I experimented with the jelly addition on my last piece and must admit that mayhap it should not be listed as optional. The jelly adds a wonderful sweetness and moisture to the overall experience. Try it, trust me.

The NAD (nutritious and delicious) factor of these muffins has inspired me to bake some of my own. This weekend I'll be trying out a great looking muffin recipe I discovered. I'll be sure to post the results.

Labels: banana, breakfast, cinnamon raisin, fiber, lunch, peanut butter, snack

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Posted by Nick on Jan 25, 2008 | Post a Comment | Comments | Permalink | Links to this post

No, I'm not making that face because it doesn't taste good. I'm making that face because I'm disgusted with myself for not having discovered this sooner. On a recent car ride to Montreal, I had my normal supplies of peanut butter, bread and a few bananas. I was driving, so making a peanut butter banana sandwich would be difficult, even for my girlfriend, the passenger.

Then, a stroke of brilliance: I asked my girlfriend Elisabeth to spread some peanut butter on the bread and place a half banana on top. I wrapped the bread up the sides and voila!, the peanut butter hot dog was born. This quick and delicious creation is a perfect snack on the go. I sometimes make two of these puppies to bring to class as they hold up well throughout the day (the cinnamon raisin peanut butter starts to penetrate the bread and begins to taste more like a cinnamon roll - a phenomenon I may try to exploit at a later date).


Ingredients:

2 slices soft whole wheat bread (Pepperidge Farm Carb Style is ideal)
2-3T peanut butter (plain, cinnamon raisin or chocolate flavor)
1 banana

Instructions:

1. Spread peanut butter onto each slice of bread.

2. Place half of a banana down the middle of each slice.

3. Roll up and scarf down.

Labels: banana, chocolate, cinnamon raisin, honey, lunch, peanut butter, snack

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Posted by Nick on Jan 16, 2008 | Post a Comment | Comments | Permalink | Links to this post

Update: This recipe has been perfected and updated here: Banana Pancakes with Maple Peanut Butter.

* This recipe was entered into the "Balanced Breakfast Meals" contest over at the Fun and Food blog.

I spent a long time trying to find a healthy pancake recipe. You could simply substitute whole wheat flour for regular flour and they turn out decent, but I wanted more. Eventually I gave up the search and then one day I came across the famed cottage cheese page. On there was a simple recipe for cottage cheese pancakes, a highly unexpected ingredient. With some tweaking, I believe I have created the world's healthiest pancakes!


Ingredients:

3/4 cup egg substitute or egg whites
1 cup oats (regular or instant)
1 cup 1% or fat-free cottage cheese with salt
1 medium banana, ripe

blueberries (optional)
chopped nuts (optional)
dark chocolate chips (optional)
dash of cinnamon (optional)

Instructions:

Place all ingredients into a blender and puree. Add any optional ingredients and pour onto a hot skillet. Smaller pancakes are easier to flip. I like to top mine with a spread of my homemade Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter and topped with defrosted strawberries with the extra juice on top. These are what get me up in the morning.

Labels: banana, breakfast, cinnamon raisin, dessert, honey, peanut butter, protein

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Posted by Nick on Dec 11, 2007 | Post a Comment | Comments | Permalink | Links to this post