Peanut
butter is a friend that I once took for granted. It has always been there for me, but not
until recently did I show it the appreciation it deserves. If you, too, have been neglectful toward this
noble condiment, simply using it as a last resort,
I-only-have-thirty-seconds-to-make-lunch ingredient, I hope these two recipes
will inspire you to spend a little more quality time with this valiant kitchen
staple.
My
roommate works at a smoothie place with the initials JJ. She once described a
peanut butter chocolate banana smoothie that sounded so good, I tried it at
home the next day. I still haven’t tasted the “JJ” version, but I’m too happy
with this version to care. This smoothie
is thick like a chocolate shake, but it has enough redeeming ingredients in it to
call it breakfast.
Picture of actual smoothie is forthcoming. I was struggling to make a picture of brown sludge (albeit delicious brown sludge) look attractive. |
This
peanut sauce is good on everything: chicken, raw vegetables, noodles, fingers... It’s peanut-y, pleasantly spicy (if you want
it to be), and perfect. I highly
recommend it.
Fun
Fact: Bananas are a climacteric fruit, which means they continue to ripen after
picking. As bananas ripen, one of the
changes that occur is that the starches break down into sugars. When stored in a chilled environment, however,
the conversion of starch into sugar can be halted. In other words, once the bananas reach your
preferred level of ripeness, you can throw the whole bunch into the
fridge. They will change color on the
outside but still be great on the inside.
On the other hand, if you want to make something sweeter like banana
bread (or the chocolate smoothie below), then letting those starches
disintegrate is great! And you were expecting something about peanut butter,
weren’t you?
Chocolate
Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
1/3 cup milk
1 large,
very ripe banana, sliced and frozen
1
tablespoon sugar
1
tablespoon cocoa powder (Dutch process or not Dutch process)
1
generous tablespoon peanut butter (natural or unnatural)
Blend
all ingredients together until smooth.
(If using an immersion blender, it’s best to blend the banana a few
slices at a time in the milk, scraping the bottom with a spoon between blends.)
Thai
Peanut Sauce
Adapted
from notderbypie.com, in turn adapted
from In the Small Kitchen
1
tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
2 gloves
garlic, minced
1½ - 2
tablespoons sugar (use less if not using natural peanut butter)
2-3
teaspoons chili paste (sambal oelek or sriracha; both are excellent)
½ cup
peanut butter
2-3
tablespoons soy sauce (start with less and add to taste)
2
tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2
tablespoons rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons
toasted sesame oil
¼ cup
water
Blend
all ingredients together until smooth.
This can be done with a blender or food processor, if desired. Add additional sesame oil, soy sauce, and
chili paste to taste. Keep refrigerated.
The lettuce wraps pictured above contain the following:
julienned carrots
julienned red bell pepper
sliced water chestnuts
ramen noodles tossed with sesame oil and soy sauce
seeded and sliced cucumbers (sprinkled with a tiny bit of salt and sugar to draw out water and concentrate the flavor)
cilantro
limes
peanut sauce
extra sriracha
Other great lettuce wrap fillings include:
grilled chicken
bean sprouts
toasted sesame seeds
mushrooms
other noodles (udon, rice, etc.)
Beautiful pictures! Especially of the lettuce wraps: it's making me hungry. :) (Heeheehee--unnatural PB!)
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