In case you hadn't yet noticed, I love nut butters. Like, really really really LOVE nuts butter. Creamy, crunchy, sweet, spicy, roasted, or raw, my love of nut butters has no limits but it does have one requirement: it has to be natural.
Although I fancy a variety of nut butters (almond, cashew, and macademia ranking at the top of the list), most of my cooking is done with good ol peanut butter, with Peanut Butter & Co brand being one of my all time favorites. If you not familiar with Peanut Butter & Co, I strongly encourage you to sample their products and if you can, a visit to the NYC Sandwhich Shop is a must!!
With my love of nut butters and being a fan of Peanut Butter & Co, it should come as no suprise that I am a proud owner of their cookbook. The book itself is entertaining due to the peanut & peanut butter fun facts. While some of the recipes might seem a bit quirky, they are all realistic in terms of being able to successfully prepare and the one's I've made for either myself or someone else have been delicious. My only word of caution would be for those who are more health conscious, have special dietary needs, or those who are watching their weight as the recipes will need tweaking. Lots and lots of tweaking. This factor totally works for me because I always tailor the recipe I'm looking at to my specific taste or needs (and I encourage others to do this as well) but if your the type of person who prefers to follow the recipes as stated this book might not work for you.
With my love of nut butters and being a fan of Peanut Butter & Co, it should come as no suprise that I am a proud owner of their cookbook. The book itself is entertaining due to the peanut & peanut butter fun facts. While some of the recipes might seem a bit quirky, they are all realistic in terms of being able to successfully prepare and the one's I've made for either myself or someone else have been delicious. My only word of caution would be for those who are more health conscious, have special dietary needs, or those who are watching their weight as the recipes will need tweaking. Lots and lots of tweaking. This factor totally works for me because I always tailor the recipe I'm looking at to my specific taste or needs (and I encourage others to do this as well) but if your the type of person who prefers to follow the recipes as stated this book might not work for you.
One of the first recipes I ever made from the book was the peanut butter banana fritters. They have since become one of the more frequently requested edibles that I make but truth be told, I have never experienced their deliciousness due to them being fried. I made a nutritional comittment many moons ago to not eat fried foods and am happy to report that this was a committment that I was able to stick to. It's a personal decision of mine and while I don't encourage others to eat things that are fried I dont necessarily condemn it either, which is why I am including my version of the recipe found in the book.
Makes 1 dozen
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 large egg (or it's equivelant)
1/4 cup sucanat
2/3 cup Smoooth Operator peanut butter
1 large banana
1 small/medium banana, chopped
Oil for frying
Confectioners sugar for dusting, optional
In a large bowl, sift flour and baking powder. In a blender, mix almond milk, eggs, sucanat, and peanut butter. Fold the wet ingriedients into the dry ingredients. Once this is well combined, fold in the chopped bananas and place the batter in the fridge for 10 - 15 minutes.
Prep your frying pan two - three minutes prior to the batter being ready for use via filling it with 1 - 2 inches of oil and heating it over medium heat. When the oil is ready, carefully drop the batter into the oil (book recommends 1/3 cupfuls at a time. I found a little less than that to be more manageable but my frying skills are seriously lacking) and fry until golden brown (approx 3 - 5 minutes on each side). When fritter is done, place it on a lined paper towel plate (to absorb excess oil). Serve these warm and dusted with confectioners sugar.
Note: For those wondering to themselves if these can be baked, I have already tried and they come out as cookies. Yummy nonetheless but in no way shape or form fritter like.
Makes 1 dozen
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 large egg (or it's equivelant)
1/4 cup sucanat
2/3 cup Smoooth Operator peanut butter
1 large banana
1 small/medium banana, chopped
Oil for frying
Confectioners sugar for dusting, optional
In a large bowl, sift flour and baking powder. In a blender, mix almond milk, eggs, sucanat, and peanut butter. Fold the wet ingriedients into the dry ingredients. Once this is well combined, fold in the chopped bananas and place the batter in the fridge for 10 - 15 minutes.
Prep your frying pan two - three minutes prior to the batter being ready for use via filling it with 1 - 2 inches of oil and heating it over medium heat. When the oil is ready, carefully drop the batter into the oil (book recommends 1/3 cupfuls at a time. I found a little less than that to be more manageable but my frying skills are seriously lacking) and fry until golden brown (approx 3 - 5 minutes on each side). When fritter is done, place it on a lined paper towel plate (to absorb excess oil). Serve these warm and dusted with confectioners sugar.
Note: For those wondering to themselves if these can be baked, I have already tried and they come out as cookies. Yummy nonetheless but in no way shape or form fritter like.
I have a tendency to purchase sweet potatoes in large quantities and for reasons unknown even to myself, I then forget about them (every time!!) resulting in the task of having to use up large quantities of sweet potatoes all at once. Sweet potatoes are pretty versatile but when I'm craving something more unique, Peanut Buttered Sweet Potato Marshmallow Mini Pies does it for me every time.
4 large sweet potatoes, peeled, sliced and steamed.
1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup Smooth Operator Peanut Butter
1 tsp fresh ground cinnamon
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup vegan (or regular) mini marshmallows
Preheat oven to 350F.
Peel, slice and steam your sweet potatoes until soft. If mashing by hand, place them in a medium sauce pan along with the apple sauce, sweeteners, peanut butter, cinnamon, and vanilla and cook over low for 5 minutes, stirring and mashing until smooth. If you have a food processor or blender I suggest throwing everything in there (melt the peanut butter first!!) and blend until smooth. Pour mixture into mini pie or loaf pans and top with marshmallows of choice. Bake until marshmallows are lightly toasted and melty. Serve immediately!!
Note: Dishes such as this traditionally use butter and more processed sweetners. I use applesauce to reduce the fat content but doing so does impact taste and texture, in my opinion making it lighter.
4 large sweet potatoes, peeled, sliced and steamed.
1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup Smooth Operator Peanut Butter
1 tsp fresh ground cinnamon
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup vegan (or regular) mini marshmallows
Preheat oven to 350F.
Peel, slice and steam your sweet potatoes until soft. If mashing by hand, place them in a medium sauce pan along with the apple sauce, sweeteners, peanut butter, cinnamon, and vanilla and cook over low for 5 minutes, stirring and mashing until smooth. If you have a food processor or blender I suggest throwing everything in there (melt the peanut butter first!!) and blend until smooth. Pour mixture into mini pie or loaf pans and top with marshmallows of choice. Bake until marshmallows are lightly toasted and melty. Serve immediately!!
Note: Dishes such as this traditionally use butter and more processed sweetners. I use applesauce to reduce the fat content but doing so does impact taste and texture, in my opinion making it lighter.
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