The Peanut Butter Boy

So I'm back in NY for a few weeks. As soon as I got here, I was greeted with thunder storms and chilly summer weather. Can't complain though, the comforts of home outweigh the bad weather, not to mention I was pleasantly overwhelmed by the color green today. It's totally unlike the west coast in terms of greenness. When I went out early in the day and took in my surroundings, my eyes went into overdrive with the sheer amount of shrubbery: I have become accustomed to its absence. Then again, we live in a heavily wooded location, although I suppose that's like most of the areas around here.

What does chilly weather call for? Toast! Cinnamon raisin toast is my fav, especially a fresh baked bakery loaf. I decided to try out a new spread with some inspiration from Kristina at The Chocolate Peanut Butter Gallery. I devised a delicious combination of some of the world's best ingredients: chocolate, peanut butter, honey and cream cheese. I prefer my spread with more of a cream-cheesy base, but you can certainly up the honey, peanut butter and chocolate for a more decadent treat. If you're like me, you'll try to put the cream cheese back in the tub only to discover about 50% extra, which naturally takes a journey on the flying spoon and straight to the mouth.

Hey folks, don't forget about Peanut Butter Exhibition #3 - Cakes/Cupcakes. We've already got some darn good recipes, be sure to submit yours! I'll be developing my own creation for the contest as well.

Ingredients:

1 tub (8oz) fat free cream cheese
1/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter w/ salt
2T good-quality cocoa powder
2T honey

Instructions:

1. Empty the cream cheese tub into a small bowl and whip with a spoon or whisk until very smooth and creamy (an electric mixer or blender works better). Mix in the cocoa powder until well distributed. Add the peanut butter and honey and mix well. Spread on everything!

Additional Info:

Once you add the above quantities, adjust according to your personal taste. You may want it less sweet, more chocolatey or more peanut buttery. Alternatively, you could add peanut butter and melted dark chocolate into the cream cheese, omit the cocoa powder and only add honey as necessary.

Just look how creamy it comes out!

Labels: chocolate, honey, peanut butter, protein, snack

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Posted by Nick on Jun 18, 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've been a bad peanut butter boy. Not only have I neglected to post a single recipe with crunchy peanut butter, I also forgot one of the original reasons I became so peanut butter crazed. About a year ago, I made a trip to Whole Foods and discovered an amazing contraption. This big red machine had only one switch and one purpose: to turn peanuts into peanut butter. Temporarily putting aside the craving to put my mouth directly on the nozzle and hit the switch, I remembered some of the peanut butters I had tried in the past years.

I specifically remember a natural and unsalted brand called Crazy Richards. I ate about half the jar and wound up throwing the rest out because it was just so darn sticky and flavorless. I believe salt helps bring the flavor out in some things and peanut butter is one of them. The only brand I use now is Trader Joe's salted variety. They have crunchy/creamy, salted/unsalted and organic versions of those as well, but I dare not deviate from the creamy or crunchy salted versions. By the way, it's also the cheapest peanut butter you'll find (unless Skippy goes on sale for $1 a jar, at which point I would just scoop into the garbage and use the jar).

But back to my peanut butter story. I was standing in Whole Foods remembering how I disliked some unsalted peanut butters when I noticed another red machine next to the first. This one was special, it didn't contain unsalted peanuts, it had honey roasted peanuts. Honey roasted peanuts are one of those simple creations in life that are simply divine, which is the exact reason that I never buy them. They come in large containers that somehow no longer seem large at all when you sit down with them. I immediately found a plastic container, put it under the nozzle, and hit the switch to creat instant warm globs of heaven! This is some of the best peanut butter I have ever had. I saved it to only eat with a spoon because I felt it was a waste to use on anything that masked its flavor.

That said, I've been to several Whole Foods locations and it is a rare sight to find a honey roasted peanut butter contraption. But luckily for you (and me) there is no need for you to trek there and search one out. I have developed a very simply copycat recipe that is out of this world.

Ingredients:

1 jar (16oz) crunchy natural peanut butter w/ salt
2T honey

Instructions:

1. Mix.

2. Enjoy.

Additional Info:

Note: To see my favorite uses for honey roasted peanut butter on or in recipes, click the category "Honey" on the navigation menu on the right.

I have not tried creamy peanut butter in this recipe and while I'm sure it's great, it can't be as good as crunchy. The end result will be a little thick, but the addition of honey also helps the oil from separating. You could also add a few drops of peanut oil to thin it out. To give you an idea of how rich and thick it will get, I made this mountain peak yesterday and it hasn't moved since:

Labels: honey, peanut butter

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Posted by Nick on Mar 20, 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

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

It should be obvious by now that I've always been a peanut butter fan. As of a few years ago I started consuming it about twice a day, and since this past summer I'm up to three times a day.

Over this past summer, I also discovered the Peanut Butter Company sandwich shop in Greenwich Village in Manhattan as well as their line of peanut butter flavors. The company also published a cookbook which contains a recipe for a peanut butter parfait. It's categorized as a dessert (truly tastes like one) but my version is so nutritious and delicious, that my girlfriend E has adopted it as her normal breakfast and my mother creates one for lunch almost every day. Here's my version of this culinary masterpiece:

Ingredients:

1 medium banana, in 1/8" - 1/4" slices
2T peanut butter
1/3 cup low-fat granola
1 (6oz) container light yogurt (Cherry vanilla rocks)
raisins or chopped dates (optional)

Instructions:

1. In the order listed above, layer ingredients into a bowl.

2. Take a large spoon and start digging. Make sure you get some of each ingredient in every bite.

You can use cinnamon raisin or chocolate peanut butter but I feel the flavor gets lost in the whole parfait. As for the granola, I highly recommend Dixie Diner's Apple Berry Granola. It's almost scary how tasty it is while still providing 11g fiber per serving. I strictly ration it out only for these parfaits. It's a little expensive, but shipping from netrition.com is $4.99, independent of the order size, so I order at least 10 bags at once.

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

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Posted by Nick on Jan 24, 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