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

I said it before and I'll say it again: this was difficult. Even with the help of e from Foodaphilia, I had a tough time judging. Truly, all of the submissions were excellent, but we promised to choose a top 3. Like the troopers we are, we finally decided on the winners.

We got a few less entries this time and most of them right near the deadline! It's too bad we didn't have more, but at least it was easier to judge (slightly). So what did we receive? It can be broken down into the following: 2 smoothie, 3 bread, 2 sandwich, 1 parfait, 1 pancake, 1 french toast and 1 quinoa dish. For all you mathematicians out there, that's 11 total entries. I chose my top 3 in the evening which led to stomach rumblings. It didn't help that my own breakfast was at least 10 hours away at that point and I dreamt of all of the entries in some mega breakfast feast.

Every submission was outstanding, ranging from quick and easy smoothies to the more involved but equally delicious Breakfast Panini and Stuffed Pancakes. Quinoa? For breakfast? Hell yea! I only wish my printer could print me out a plate of that. How about some Hazelnut Pan Bread from Naomi who can't find the # symbol on her keyboard but can make a superbly unique breakfast treat. And who could forget Bagels! Although depending on where you're from, the bagel can either make it or break it (anyone west of Philly need not apply). Well, the time has come, so read on to see the winners of the Second Peanut Butter Exhibition!

Congratulations to the winners! You've dazzled our minds and left us drooling for more. You'll each receive winners badges to place on your site and declare your dominance in the field of peanut butter breakfast making!

1st Place: Peanut Butter Crunch French Toast from Heidi over at Baking Buddies. This entry was incredible. A simple and well balanced recipe that can be easily modified. One with marshmallow fluff and one with Nutella? Are you crazy? A little decadent perhaps, but the mere thought of it would wake me from the deepest slumber.


2nd Place: PB&J Smoothie from Giz at Equal Opportunity Kitchen. Simple, yet effective. Especially with summer approaching, what could be better than waking up to a bright hot sun and downing a delicious frosty beverage? Again, easily modified and well-balanced to boot, this one came in at a close second.


3rd Place: Peanut Butter-Peach Breakfast Parfait from Rosiecat at Life, Love, and Food. Unfortunately, there is no picture to go with this one, but the main component of this delightful breakfast is a homemade Peanut Butter-Glazed Granola. Sure this one scored a bit lower for prep time, but while staring at the ingredients (and wishing for a taste...or even a picture!), I could smell and taste this entry more than any of the others. One can only imagine the aroma that would fill the house from this delectable baked treat.

All Entries

- Rockin Breakfast Panini from Vegans Eat
- Peanut Butter Quinoa Breakfast from What's Cooking?
- Hazelnut Pan-Bread from Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried
- Leaning Tower of Double-Stuffed Peanut Butter Flapjacks from Renae du Jour
- Peanut Butter Bagel Sandwich from Foodaphilia
- Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie from A Fridge Full of Food...
- Peanut Butter Cornbread from me, The Peanut Butter Boy

The last recipe is from Katrina Johnson who does not yet have a blog. Her recipe is for "Surprise Sunrise Peanut Butter Muffins". This is one of the most unique recipes we received and I will certainly be trying these myself.

Suprise Sunrise Peanut Butter Muffins

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
2T baking powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (no more than 1 cup)
1/2 cup applesauce
3/4 cup soymilk
1/4 agave nectar
1 banana (very ripe), mashed
6 small cooked sausage patties (precooked frozen ones work fine)
1/2 cup apple jelly

Directions: Heat oven to 375 F. Combine flour, baking powder, and brown sugar in a large bowl. In a small bowl combine PB, applesauce, soymilk, and agave nectar, and mix well. Pour the wet mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and gently stir to combine. Line a 12 muffin pan with paper cups. Fill the lined cups 1/3 full. Make a shallow indentation in the center of the batter with you finger; do not go to the bottom, and place a teaspoon of the apple jelly in each indentation. Place a cooked half sausage patty on top of each muffin cup. Fill muffin cups with batter about 2/3 full. Bake about 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Place muffins on wire rack to cool until just warm. Serve and ENJOY!

Honorable Mention

Once again we received an entry that didn't match the theme...at all. I specifically told her that "Breakfast" was the theme of the month but she submitted it anyway! They still look delicious, I just wish I was from a planet that ate these for breakfast:

- Chocolate/Peanut Butter Frosted Banana Cupcakes from Girl Meets Cupcake receives the "I don't read past the first sentence of emails" award =).

A big thanks to everyone that entered! Once again folks, stock up on peanut butter and get ready...the next Peanut Butter Exhibition is just around the corner!

Labels: breakfast, PBE, peanut butter

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Posted by Nick on Jun 4, 2008 | Post a Comment | Comments | Permalink | Links to this post

Here is my entry for the Great Peanut Butter Exhibition #2 - Breakfast. Never had cornbread for breakfast? You're missing out. A nice toasted piece of cornbread spread with some butter and drizzled with honey is a wonderful breakfast or snack.

I came up with this gem one evening when a strong urge for cornbread came over me. I didn't have the ingredients on hand, but I carefully planned it out for the following day. I scoped out several cornbread recipes, including one where masa harina was accidentally used instead of cornmeal. As for the peanut butter contribution, the only recipe I found for peanut butter cornbread called for 12 slices of bacon which seemed a bit odd. In any case, I came up with my own recipe. I took that out, added some of this, increased this and that and voilà!

The result was a corny, crumbly and peanut buttery cake - exactly what I was looking for! The only downside was that it was a bit dry. This was most likely due to the masa harina, so the liquid has been increased to 1 3/4 cups to account for that. It's best right out of the oven, but it's just as good toasted with honey. This recipe is vegan if you use soymilk and gluten-free if you substitute a different flour for the whole wheat pastry flour (or use only masa harina/cornmeal).

Don't forget about the Great Peanut Butter Exhibition #2 - Breakfast! The deadline is this coming Friday, May 30th at Noon PST and we've only got 3 entries so far, so let's move it!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups masa harina (or cornmeal)
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1T baking powder
1t salt
2T honey
1 3/4 cups skim or soy milk
1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter w/ salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix dry ingredients (first four) together in a large bowl. Whisk wet ingredients (last 3) together in a medium bowl. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into a skillet or 8x8" pan coated in cooking spray and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and top begins to brown. Remove from pan to cool, if possible.


Additional Info:

From what I hear masa harina requires more liquid than cornmeal, so if you use cornmeal reduce milk to 1 1/2 cups. I only used 1 1/2 cups milk with masa harina, but that's because I did something special with it I shall reveal soon =).

Labels: breakfast, peanut butter, snack

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

Step right up! The Great Peanut Butter Exhibition has returned! In conjunction with Foodaphilia, I am proud to present the latest and greatest in peanut butter blogging!

The theme for the second PBE is breakfast! From smoothies to muffins and everything in between, what's your take on the ultimate peanut butter breakfast? Submit your recipe following the guidelines below and we'll be rounding up all submissions and choosing a Top 3. The deadline is May 30th @ Noon (PST). That gives you a full two weeks from now to demonstrate your expertise with our favorite tan-colored paste and flex those cooking muscles! The Top 3 will be prominently featured, but all entries will be displayed. It has been a busy time over here at the Peanut Butter Boy, so actual prizes are on the back-burner for now. However, the winners will receive a badge to show off their award-winning recipe!

The real prizes from the first Peanut Butter Exhibition for Cookies were the recipes themselves, we loved them all! We're looking forward to another great batch of recipes to round up! The category is much broader this time so get on your thinking caps and get creative!

For some inspiration, my favorite peanut butter breakfast creations are Peanut Butter & Jelly Oatmeal and Banana Pancakes with Maple Peanut Butter. Be sure to check out the judging criteria: it's a little different this time around to better suit the theme. For example, you could submit brownies (again), but you wouldn't get too many points in the Well-Balanced category. Now let's get those spoons-a-churnin' and make some peanut butter history! Read on for the details...


Submission Details: To enter your recipe, please submit the following information to pbe@peanutbutterboy.com with "PBE #2" as the subject:

Name
Blog URL
Title of Recipe
Recipe or Recipe Permalink URL

Judging Criteria: Peanut Butter Weight, Well-Balanced Factor, Get-Outta-Bed Motivation and Preparation Time

Other Rules: 1 entry per person, so choose wisely! Pictures are highly recommended, but not required. Also, please link back to this page to indicate that you are entering the recipe into this contest. Feel free to use any of the PBE logos to link back here. Good luck to all!

Participating? Use this image to link back here:



Blogless?: Don't worry if you don't have a blog, you can still submit your winning recipe. Follow the same procedure above excluding "Blog URL" and "Recipe Permalink URL" and feel free to email the picture along with the recipe!

* Logos courtesy of the talented Kristina Sacci.

Labels: breakfast, PBE, peanut butter

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

Consider yourself lucky! In this post, I plan to reveal three separate and very delicious recipes - one of which is the aforementioned *secret* peanut butter flavor. I've been slaving day and night to get the correct proportions, but I think I've got it just right. Not only that, but I'll be sharing a picture of my personal peanut butter collection as well as writing a "MeMe" for an insight into what makes the Peanut Butter Boy tick. Aren't you excited?

Plain and simple, these crepes are incredible. Like traditional crepes, they are thin and crispy with the bonus of being super healthy. The way I prepare them here is just my most recent concoction (but probably the best). Previously, I simply spread peanut butter inside, roll them up and top with defrosted strawberries. I've even tried them with some banana liqueur which added a great flavor. Feel free to make them how you wish but I urge you to try them. Read on for all the goodness!


Before I get to the recipe, I want to share something with you. Previously, I caused some confusion in my Chocolate & Triple Peanut Butter Pie post. Before the recipe I listed my peanut butter collection which was so long that most people mistook it for the actual recipe. After realizing their mistake, most people complimented me on the collection. Well, I wanted to visually share my achievements =):


However, only a few hours after the picture was taken, I bought another jar of peanut butter at the store - Honey Roasted Jif. It was on sale for $2.08 and I had just purchased Honey Roasted Skippy (pictured) and wanted to compare the two, so what you are seeing is slightly incomplete.

As for the "MeMe", I was tagged by Naomi over at Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried. Basically, it's a memoir about oneself involving only 6 words. The words are supposed to represent you on a deep level, with some hardcore philosophical meaning. In turn, I am supposed to nominate 6 people to continue the trend. After giving it some thought, I've come up with the following six words that I feel describe me best:

Joker
Lighthearted
Perpetual
Curious
Generous
Forgiving

and in turn, I nominate:
Melissa's Journey
Kath Eats
Down Home Dieting
A Forkful of Spaghetti
The Chocolate Peanut Butter Gallery
Foodaphilia

Now for the good stuff...

Ingredients:

Crepes:
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 egg whites (or 3T egg substitute)
1/2 cup skim milk
1T peanut or olive oil (optional)
pinch of salt

Cinnamon & Sugar Apples:
1/2 large apple, in thin slices
2tsp brown sugar (optional)
2tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup apple juice or water, plus more as needed

Apple Pie Peanut Butter:
1 cup (1/2 jar) creamy natural peanut butter w/ salt
1/2 cup chopped dried apple rings, unpacked
4t sugar
2t cinnamon
3/8t nutmeg

Instructions:

1. For the peanut butter, mix all ingredients together. For crepe batter, whisk together all ingredients in a medium bowl. For cinnamon & sugar apples, place all ingredients in a pot on medium heat. Bring liquid to a boil and simmer on medium-low, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until apples are soft. Cut the apple slices in half while cooking (also good for testing when they are done). Add liquid 1T at a time, as needed to keep a thin layer of sauce in the bottom.


2. Preheat a large skillet on medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Pick up the pan and tilt it while pouring 1/4 cup of crepe batter into it with the other hand. As soon as the batter reaches the pan, twist the pan to cover the entire bottom with batter. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until bottom is browned and crispy. Flip over and cook for 1 more minutes. Subsequent crepes will cook a good deal faster.

3. Spread peanut butter on the inside down the middle and fill with apples. Fold one side of the crepe over and roll up. Drizzle with maple syrup, if desired.


Additional Info:

I've made this recipe several times, with and without the oil. I included it in the list because traditional crepe recipes call for it, but frankly I can't tell the difference. I've included a lot of pictures because I couldn't choose a favorite. Which picture do you think best shows off the crepes?

Labels: breakfast, dessert, fiber, peanut butter

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Posted by Nick on Apr 16, 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

Does that look like an alligator sticking it's tongue out to you? It does to me, but that doesn't make it any less delicious. Despite it's animal appearance, this dish is actually vegetarian.

Given the popularity of my previous post about Banana Pancakes, I figured I would hold off on my next big peanut butter treat just to tease you guys. That, and it's still only partially finished and chilling in the fridge. But don't worry, this is a great creation too.

I was at a restaurant recently and saw the patron next to me order the apple sausage omelet. It smelled incredible and I've heard of the ingredient combo before but have never tried it. Well I finally did, but I actually made a meatless version because I had a package of Gimme Lean Sausage Style in the fridge: a fat free, high protein and high fiber sausage replacement. It's a surprisingly good knockoff of real sausage, especially with some salt and pepper (the best seasonings to break your fast).

The other day, I discovered "Santa Barbara" mango salsa at Costco. Supposedly you can get it elsewhere, but I'd rather have a 4lb jug of it sitting in my fridge than a dinky little jar. I ate half of the container in the first sitting with a batch of my Homemade Tortilla Chips. Since then, I've been using the salsa on everything I can. It's wonderfully sweet with a spicy little kick at the end and goes great on this omelet. There's no peanut butter here folks, but you'll get your fix soon.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup egg substitute (or 2 eggs)
1" slice (2oz) Gimme Lean Sausage Style (sausage or other "soysage")
1/4 apple, sliced thin and chopped
1 slice fat free American cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Ketchup (optional)
Mango salsa (optional)

Instructions:

1. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray and toss in the sausage along with some salt and pepper. Break up into small bits and cook until browned, about 3 minutes. If the sausage is sticking, add more cooking spray.

2. Once the sausage is done add the apples to the pan and cook for about 30 seconds, just enough to warm them. Turn the stove down to medium and pour in the eggs. Cook for about 2 minutes, lifting the sides and letting the uncooked egg run underneath the omelet to cook. Flip over the omelet once it has mostly solidified and place the slice of cheese on one half. After about 1 minute, fold the omelet in half and press down with the back of the spatula. After another 30 seconds, flip the omelet to the other side and cook for a final 30 seconds.

3. Serve with ketchup or mango salsa for dipping.

Labels: breakfast, peanut butterless, protein

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Posted by Nick on Apr 6, 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

Spring is creeping in slowly and there is no better time of the year to get up early and take a jog or ride your bike. The mornings are getting warmer and the sun is rising earlier so there's no use fighting that one ray that peeks through your blinds every morning and straight into your eye. Get out and enjoy the sun! To keep up your energy, you'll need a healthy, nutrient-packed breakfast on-the-go. I've got just the ticket! Heavily inspired by my daily breakfast, Peanut Butter & Jelly Oatmeal, here's a great way to help keep you moving!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups oats
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup brown sugar, or to taste
3/4t cinnamon
1/4t baking soda
1/8t salt
4T butter, softened (I used Smart Balance)
2T creamy natural peanut butter
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 cups apricot jelly (Trader Joe's brand)

Update: I've removed the 1/2 cup egg substitute (or 2 eggs) from the recipe, I think they contribute to a dryness and "yempt" texture. So this recipe is technically untested, please let me know if you try it and how it comes out or if you have any recommendations/suggestions! Thanks!

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and brown sugar together in a large bowl. Whisk in the peanut butter, applesauce and egg. Mix the remaining ingredients (oats, flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon) in a medium bowl. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix until well combined.

2. Spray an 8x8 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Press about 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom, forming an even layer and spread a layer of jelly on top. Crumble remaining oat mixture on top and press down lightly.

3. Bake in oven for 25 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Let cool completely and cut into 9 bars.

Additional Info:

Strawberry usually trumps every other flavor of jelly for me, but in this case, the apricot was hands down the better of the two. The strawberry type looks a little better in the pictures because of the contrast but don't be fooled!

Labels: breakfast, fiber, peanut butter, snack

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Posted by Nick on Apr 1, 2008 | Post a Comment | Comments | Permalink | Links to this post

For me, the summer of '07 was the summer of peanut butter. I had just graduated from college and was attending graduate school the following fall. My dependence on peanut butter was increasing with each passing day and I was eager to experiment but more than anything, I had a lot of free time.

Several recipes from that era include: honey roasted peanut butter, dark chocolate peanut butter, cinnamon raisin peanut butter, the all-mighty peanut butter hot dog, the spicy peanut butter turkey wrap and the peanut butter parfait. Those are just the recipes that made it to this site so far. There are plenty of others that are still in the works.

The basis for this recipe comes from a simple sandwich consisting of peanut butter and sliced bananas, lightly toasted on both sides. As soon as I started making cinnamon raisin peanut butter I fell in love, and substituted it for all of my peanut butter needs including this sandwich. I had a sweet-tooth at the time and added a drizzle of honey and a shake of cinnamon. I urged my mother to try it (a developing pb fanatic) and she decided to make her own the following day. She asked if peaches would work instead and I said it wouldn't be bad but couldn't be better than sliced bananas.

I was mistaken. This is one of the simple recipes that turns out way beyond expectations, creating a flavor explosion that keeps your taste buds begging for more. I named the recipe after my mother (Linda) and perfected it in the following months. This sandwich was also the basis for my cinnamon raisin peanut butter & peach bran muffins.

This recipe is so outstanding that I am entering it into the Root Source Challenge #6: Peanut Butter over at cookthink.com. Taste buds don't lie folks, this one's a winner.

Ingredients:

2 slices soft sandwich bread
2T cinnamon raisin peanut butter*
1/2 white peach, ripe (not mealy), in 1/4" wedges
1 drizzle honey
cinnamon
canola oil cooking spray (w/ butter flavor, if available)

* if you don't have cinnamon raisin peanut butter on hand (shame on you) either make a batch (recommended) or sprinkle 1/2t sugar, 1/4t cinnamon and 1/2T currants/raisins onto the regular peanut butter.

Instructions:

1. Spread peanut butter onto one slice of bread. Arrange one layer of sliced peaches on top, drizzle with honey and add cinnamon, to taste. Top with second slice of bread.

2. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Spray the top of the sandwich with cooking spray and place upside-down in the pan. Use a spatula to occasionally press down lightly.

3. Once the underside is browned (2-3 minutes), spray the top with cooking spray and flip over. Cook for an additional 2 minutes, pressing down slightly, until both sides are golden brown. Cut in half and serve immediately.

Additional Info:

This sandwich is a phenomenal alternative to pb&j and is best enjoyed in multiples of 2. Medium heat is used to warm the peaches but not cook them, use high heat and cook for less time if you want them cold. I bought "butter flavored" canola oil spray by accident but it complemented the sandwich wonderfully. Alternatively, use any cooking spray or a teaspoon of butter in the pan.

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

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Posted by Nick on Mar 23, 2008 | Post a Comment | Comments | Permalink | Links to this post

Certain cravings must be fulfilled. Sleep is a good example. We all need it, our bodies crave it. If we don't give in, the body protests and decreases our energy level until it gets what it wants anyways. You simply have no choice in that matter. Peanut butter is a similar craving for me, one which resembles the need for sleep in that I eat or think about it approximately 8 hours per day.

The past two weeks I've been busy with approaching finals but I can't help thinking about bread. Homemade bread. Crispy, chewy, doughy, satisfying bread. After much searching, I found several bread-machine-less recipes for 100% whole grain bread. It's not as easy as it sounds, especially if you're looking for a good white-bread replica. I wasn't sure which recipe to use, each looked promising for different reasons. I couldn't stop thinking about it. One night I woke from a dream where I was about to start baking bread. I said, outloud, "I think we use whole wheat flour". I realized I was talking to nobody although it made sense at the time and the statement clearly reflected my dilemma.

Then I stumbled upon an unique recipe for Chocolate Bread at the Village Vegan. It sounded too good to be true, but the recipe seemed to call for regular flour. At this point I really didn't care: I wanted bread and now I wanted chocolate too. But then I remembered a 5lb bag of whole wheat pastry flour I had just bought at the store that needed using.

I ran to Whole Foods and picked up some wheat gluten, a 70-80% protein flour to help in rising. Wheat gluten is often called vital wheat gluten and I believe high gluten flour in some stores, but the product itself has about 6g carbs and 23g protein per serving. The end result isn't quite a muffin and certainly isn't regular bread. It has a slight wheat/nutty flavor but a distinct taste of cocoa with bursts of melted chocolate. I recommend it toasted and spread with peanut butter, what else?

Ingredients:

Starter:
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2t wheat gluten
1/8t instant yeast

Dough:
2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2T wheat gluten
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6T sugar
1 1/2t yeast
1 1/4t salt
1 cup (scant) warm water
2T margerine, in small chunks (Smart Balance Light)
3oz dark chocolate, chopped (70% or higher percent cocoa)
1/2 cup dried cranberries or cherries, diced
Skim or soymilk
Raw sugar

Instructions:

1. Mix the starter ingredients together in a small bowl and let sit at room temperature for 6 hours.

2. Dissolve the yeast in the water. Put the starter and dry ingredients through salt in a large bowl. Add the yeast water and knead in the bowl or on a floured surface. Knead the margerine into the bread and knead for about 15 minutes. Knead the chocolate chunks and any dried fruit into the dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rise for about 3 hours, or until double in size.

3. Shape the bread, either put in a loaf pan or on a baking sheet to make a loaf. I cut it into small pieces, rolled into balls and placed on a baking sheet. Let the dough rise for another 2 hours or in the refrigerator overnight. If refrigerating, let the bread sit out at room temperature while the oven is heating.

4. Preheat oven to 375. Brush the dough with milk or soymilk and sprinkle raw sugar on top. Place bread in the oven and reduce temperature to 350. Bake for 40-45 minutes for a loaf, I only baked it about 30 minutes for rolls. Let cool completely on a cooling rack. Store for up to 3 days or freeze for up to a month.

4. To eat, toast until warm and slightly toasted. Spread on peanut butter or better yet, use Dark Chocolate or Honey Roasted (my new fav) peanut butter.

Additional Info:

They came out a tiny bit dry, but the melted chocolate really adds a nice creaminess and burst of sweetness. I recommend trying 4t canola oil instead of the margerine.

Like I always say, 2 balls are better than 1:

Labels: breakfast, chocolate, honey, peanut butterless, snack

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Posted by Nick on Mar 16, 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

Update: This recipe has been entered into the "Balanced Breakfast Meals" contest over at the Fun and Food blog.

I was never much of a baker, it's a very foreign cooking method to me. I don't know enough to add/change ingredients and certainly not enough to create my own recipe. Not to mention that baked products generally aren't very nutritious, mostly just empty calories - tasty calories, but empty nonetheless. The Banana Blueberry Bran Muffins came out very good but the recipe was directly from Farmgirl Fare. And being the peanut butter boy I wanted to incorporate peanut butter into a muffin recipe but had no idea what to replace it with. I have a problem with wasting food and I would hate to throw out a batch of muffins that didn't turn out. As a good example, you should see my empty peanut butter containers, they are immaculate as if they were ready for filling at the peanut butter factory. To me, there's nothing worse than a messy peanut butter jar.

Well I decided to bite the bullet and experiment by working with a flavor combination that my mother discovered and anyone who has since tried it has fallen in love: the combination of peaches with peanut butter, cinnamon and raisins. Discovered in the early 21st century during the peanut butter era (summer 2007 to be exact), this delectable combo was founded in the form of a sandwich, now called The Linda Delite (recipe soon). It may sound strange at first but let me say that this toasted sandwich has since replaced the traditional grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich for me.

Using this flavor combo, I heavily modified the basic bran muffin from the above site. All oil has been removed and replaced with peanut butter, along with the addition of peach puree and peach applesauce. This is one muffin you don't want to miss.

Ingredients:

Dry:
2 cups wheat bran
1 cup oat bran
1 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup currants or raisins
2t baking soda
1t baking powder
1T cinnamon
1/2t salt

Wet:
3 perfectly ripe peaches (gives when pressed lightly, not spongy)
1/4 cup peach applesauce (or regular unsweetened)
4 egg whites (or 1/2 cup egg substitute)
2/3 cup skim milk
2/3 cup light yogurt (peach or vanilla)
6T creamy natural peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses (all honey or all molasses works too)

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 375. Spray 2 standard size muffin pans or use paper liners (best choice). If you don't have two muffin pans, you'll have to make two batches or cut the recipe in half. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well to coat the currants.

2. Cut peaches in half and remove pit. Place in a blender with the applesauce. Pulse until pureed. Combine peach puree and remaining wet ingredients into a medium-sized bowl and mix. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and gently mix just until combined.

3. Spoon batter into muffin cups and mound as high as you can without spilling over the paper liner. Bake for 26-28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (but moist). Makes 14-16 large muffins.

Additional Info:

These muffins are delicious, but at first I was afraid I'd have to throw the batch out anyways because I accidentally cooked them for just over 30 minutes. The picture above doesn't quite do justice to how moist even the over-baked muffins really are, take a look:



As for nutrition, these muffins take the cake (taste better too). Each one contains:

Calories: 180

Fat: 3.6g
Carbohydrates: 33g
Fiber: 6.5g
Sugar: 16g
Protein: 6g

The only thing a little high is the sugar, but it mostly comes from fruit, honey and molasses. Feel free to reduce sugar amounts to your liking. Enjoy these perfectly moist muffins!

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

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