Peanut Butter Matches Made in Heaven

I believe peanut butter goes well with many partners—sweet, savory, crunchy, smooth, even spicy (as proclaimed by the wings recipe in my last post). But to keep it not only tasty, but healthy, picking the PB partner in crime requires just a little conscious thinking. Here to relieve the pressure from your own mind, I give you my list of the tastiest things to pair with your favorite nutty spread in a healthy snack:

low-sodium popcorn

Yes, I said it. Saltier than the peanut butter but light and airy, a few cups of light, air-popped popcorn are the perfect balance for two tablespoons of melted, all natural peanut butter, drizzled over top. Pour a bit directly into the bag, shake, and repeat until you have as much on as you’d like. Messy? Yes. Worth it? Hell yes.

fruit

If you knew me personally (which you can, if you visit my About Me page), you would know that I’m a fruit fiend. You would have seen this partnership coming from lightyears away. Melting the peanut butter slightly helps spread the love—and even the thickest of PBs—with whatever fruit strikes your fancy. I would choose strawberries, bananas, or pineapple, but the salty/sweet/juicy combination is killer with any of your favorites.

oats and almond milk

My favorite breakfasts have the power to drag my butt out of bed faster than any alarm clock. Try making overnight oats with one cup of rolled, quick-cooking, whole grain oats, 1/3 cup of unsweetened almond milk, and a tablespoon of melted peanut butter. To heat it up for the colder months, make the oats with water as the directions say to, but add a bit of extra water and cook a little longer for fluffier oats. Drop a tablespoon of PB onto the top and let it melt before you stir it in. Either way, the protein pumps you up while the carbs keep you going—even for that early meeting or class.

ice

Okay, so that partner proclamation was admittedly more of an attention-getter than a viable standalone pairing, but it’s partially true. Blended with unsweetened almond milk, low-sugar protein powder, and a handful of ice cubes, peanut butter adds some nutty flavor to the usually very drab protein shake. Throw in some plain greek yogurt to make it even creamier (you may want to add some extra water to balance it out if you do this), or whatever slightly-aging fruit you have sitting around. Top it with any kind of chopped nut or all-natural granola, and you have a perfect post-workout meal.

 

Peanut Butter ‘Round the World

After a week’s hiatus due to a (snowy) spring break, we’re back! This week, I’d like to address a more serious issue—where else in the world does my precious PB exist? Does it? Are there replacements?

I spent a few weeks in Poland this past January. A few very long weeks, sans peanut butter. Nutella is great, don’t get me wrong. Chocolate-y, hazelnut-y, thick goodness. But it doesn’t rival my main spread.

So how does the rest of the world fare when it comes to what lies atop their toast? My research brought forth no great forum of debate or sound state of communication, but one solid Yahoo! Answers post did draw some attention to this topic.

Europe:

PB Presence? Yes, but it’s not as common as Nutella. When the Brits pick their peanut butter, they pair it with jelly. France and Spain don’t see the prevalence quite as much, but the hazelnut version is a breakfast staple.

Africa:

PB Presence? One responder claimed yes, a South African brand called “Black Cat.” Nutella is an import, but still available. They also vouched for peanut butter’s place on store shelves in Dubai, where they lived previously. Peanut butter cookies are also common as a sweet treat in South Africa. Maybe they should take a look at my spring break bake post…just a thought.

Australia:

PB Presence? Oh, yes! With many brands and varieties to choose from (even tasty almond butter and organic varieties!), it seems I could happily relocate down under without withdrawal. I’ll keep that in mind when I graduate, mate.

Canada:

PB Presence: From the beginning. Let’s not forget our friends to the north, who can stake a claim to fame for the invention of peanut butter. Oh Canada, I owe you my gratitude. The maple leaf may be your symbol, but the jar of JIF will be your legacy.

Q&A with Nick, the “Peanut Butter Boy”

With nearly 30 years of peanut butter love behind him and a knack for cooking, Nick, the “Peanut Butter Boy,” shared a few thoughts with me about the thing we share a mutual love for. Find him here:http://www.peanutbutterboy.com/ if you can’t make a trip out to Hoboken, New Jersey to stalk him in person

Q: What is your favorite part of blogging about food?

A: I love cooking for friends and family, and blogging about food is an extension of that passion in that it allows me to share recipes with complete strangers across the globe. Plus, I like having access to my recipes wherever I go.

Q: What is your all-time favorite peanut butter recipe?

A: That’s an unfair question, so I’m going to give you two. My “Super Peanut Butter Chili” recipe is probably my favorite meal of all time. Every time someone tries it, they say it’s the best chili they’ve ever had. Several people commented on my blog saying they entered it into chili contests and cook-offs using my recipe and won. That makes me happy. “Peanut Butter Banana Pudding” is my favorite dessert. Ever. I make it for every party, potluck and holiday. I don’t even have a choice anymore, people EXPECT it.

Q: What is the craziest peanut butter recipe you’ve ever tried? Was it good?

A: The craziest recipe I ever tried was a peanut butter and banana omelet. I cooked banana slices into the omelet and spread peanut butter on the inside. I enjoyed it, but for whatever reason I never made it again. I posted it on my blog a while ago but I still get comments from people saying that they expected it to be awful, but they wound up loving it! It’s actually one of the most praised recipes on my site. Go figure.

A Peanut Butter Q&A (with an unlikely candidate)

In the spirit of my recent Q&A with “Peanut Butter Boy,” I decided to have a little fun with another round:

As a kid, we find entertainment in all that animals do. We’re fascinated by the way they eat off of the floor, how they walk on all fours, and we imitate the noises they make as obnoxiously as possible.

One of my fondest memories as a child, however, is dipping my finger in a spoonful of peanut butter (with my parents’ permission), sticking some kind of Frontline canine pill into the center, and sticking it to the roof of my dog’s mouth—watching her smack her lips joyfully like a wild beast.

My little sister and I giggled until we cried, which only confused the poor pup more as to why we were laughing at her hysterically.

Photo credit: 943thepoint.com

This recollection led me to think: Why is it that dogs like peanut butter so much? Could it mean as much to them as it does to me? I sat down with a canine companion to get the scoop.

Q: What ran through your head the first time you experienced peanut butter?

A: It was the weirdest sensation I’ve ever had—awfully sticky, yet intriguingly tasty. I didn’t know what to think, so I just went with it. After it was gone, I only wanted more.

Q: Some people say people food is only for people. How do you feel about this, if we classify peanut butter as a people-only food?

A: It’s as healthy for me as it is for you. Not only can I digest it as well as humans, but it can be used to disguise medicine I might have to otherwise taste. It’s not like chocolate—which could be extremely harmful. As long as it’s in moderation, I’ll be just fine.

Q: What is your favorite kind of peanut butter?

A: Personally, I like extra crunchy. It makes it easier to disguise the pill I know the humans are using it for, but I honestly don’t care. For dogs, it’s best to stick with natural mixes, though. No preservatives, no added sugar, even organic. But that’s the same as it goes for you. Stick to the simple stuff.

Q: Do you ever feel like you might be unsafe in consuming the tasty treat?

A: Honestly, no. But I do know of a few ways things could go wrong. Some people use the same jar of peanut butter for their own consumption and mine. Wouldn’t it just be so much easier to keep yours for yourself and reserve a small jar for when I need it? That way, it won’t expire when I don’t actually eat it regularly, and nothing is cross-contaminated if I need an extra spoonful to be tricked into taking down the medication. A dog owner may also want to be very cautious of food allergies—just because I can’t tell you I need an Epipen doesn’t mean I can’t have a bad reaction.

PB Alternative—a post for the health-conscious folks

Hopefully, you read my bio. Oh, you didn’t? Go do that! I like to be more than a person hiding behind a keyboard on the crazy world wide web.

Good, you’re back from reading about me and why I started this blog. Now we can move onto the reason for this post—my new favorite thing in the world of peanut butter: PB2.

Photo Cred: http://foodbabe.com

My friends call me crazy for thinking it’s peanut butter, but I’ll stand by it as a natural alternative to sugar-loaded Jiffy. There are types of natural “normal” peanut butter, but this stuff is even better. PB2 is a powder, ready to go with just a little water and a spoon. After a good strength workout, when I’m in need of a protein fix, I turn to PB2 and a banana.

You may feel a little weird about having to mix up your own condiments from a jar of powder, but that’s one of the best parts! Use a little more water and drizzle it over ice cream instead of melting the traditional stuff in the microwave, or keep it thick to spread on whole-wheat toast for breakfast. Whatever way you choose to whip it, be sure to do a little happy dance as you do. The happy dance is because you just chose a natural form of peanut butter that is free of preservatives and artificial sweeteners.

By pressing the peanut and using the part without the majority of the natural fats (which are healthy, but make it one of the “moderation needed” condiments), PB2 has 1/4 of the calories and much less fat than typical peanut butter. The best part? It tastes just as good, if not better. Don’t believe me if you don’t want to—check it out for yourself:

http://www.bellplantation.com/nutrition

It’s a little more expensive than what you can find in a grocery store, and you have to order it online, but I’ve found buying in bulk packs of 4 jars on Amazon.com is the easiest route.

Bonus: It comes in chocolate flavor, too. A little extra sugar, but it’ll kill that coco craving.

The Inaugural Peanut Butter Post

I have no intention of trying to keep up a serious image with a blog about a condiment. While my own emotions may occasionally creep into my writing, you can mostly expect light-hearted humor and random jabs at other food items I deem “lesser beings.” So let’s kick this off with some of my favorite partners-in-crime of peanut butter. You didn’t think pb&j was the extent of the combination possibilities, did you?

Photo Cred: http://www.allrecipes.com

My personal favorite is the king of sandwiches, the grilled peanut butter and banana. Especially in a panini maker (a la college cafeteria), the peanut butter becomes perfectly melted around the sweet bananas. This is a great way to mix up your non-meat lunch options, cue the timeliness of Lent. If you’re the type of person to let your bananas grow brown with spots and then sigh as you toss them out, this is also a way to disguise them into a concoction where they are still put to delicious use!

Photo Cred: http://www.adashofsass.com

I’m a big believer in the importance of a balanced breakfast, but I wouldn’t call myself Tony the tiger and say sugary cereal is the way to go. If you’re cuckoo for cocoa puffs but trying to learn to love healthier options, oatmeal is the place to start. Whole grain, steel-cut oats without added sugar. Think of the types you put into oatmeal raisin cookies that come in that huge round container. 3/4 of a cup of those, cooked as instructed, with a tablespoon of peanut butter and a little natural cinnamon is the way to go.

Photo Cred: sweetandcrumbly.com

 

 

 

 

I promised you food porn, but I didn’t say it would all be healthy. You’ve got a few balanced options, so here’s the splurge: peanut butter and fudge swirl brownies. You can’t go wrong with peanutbutter+chocolate, so anyrecipe will probably do the trick. I would personally choose a solid fudge brownie recipe from my grandma’s cookbook, and wait for them to cool before topping them with “frosting”—melted chocolate and peanut butter, slightly swirled. Drool.