Tuesday 19 May 2009

Fun with Peanut Butter

Recently I've been really loving my peanut butter. People who don't like peanut butter are just wrong. Embrace the peanut butter, fools!

Here are two really easy and delicious recipes using peanut butter for all you non-fools.

Mick's Awesome Satay
(from my lovely Vietnamese/Aussie friend Mick)

You will need:
Peanut butter
Lemon juice
Soy sauce
Sugar
Garlic, chopped (or garlic powder is ok if you're feeling lazy)
Chilli (I use Sriracha hot sauce)

Mix equal amounts of the first four ingredients (I tend to go a little easier on the sugar) and add garlic and chilli to taste. That's it!
For one person, I'd use around a tablespoon of the first four each. Just taste it as you mix and adjust to your own preference.

This satay can also be thinned out with water or coconut milk. Mick told me that if you cook it, the flavours will mellow apart from the garlic which will intensify. It's good for dipping chopped vegetable sticks in, or summer rolls, or poured over cold noodles. I made a gado gado inspired plate with it too and it was goooood.


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"Put Your Banana in my Peanut Butter" Smoothie
I wanted to eat a banana pb sandwich but since vegan bread is pretty much impossible to find in Japan, I made this instead. This is a one person serving but of course you could make a big batch and share. Or not share. That'd be better I think.

You will need:
1 banana
1 teaspoon cocoa
1 teaspoon Inka/coffee replacement/instant coffee (optional)
1 BIG teaspoon of peanut butter (or why not go crazy and just chuck a whole tablespoon in that bad boy)
250 ml aprox. non-dairy milk (cause cow milk comes out of cow's nipples and you don't need to be drinking that)
Sugar/maple syrup/sweetener to taste

Blend all your ingredients together and add sweetener if you need it. If you are using instant coffee granules it might be a good idea to dissolve them in a little hot water or milk first. You can of course add crushed ice to this or more milk if you want it thinner. My best results were when I used vanilla soy milk and a very ripe banana.

Well, that's it. Easy, huh? I should warn you that the satay sauce is really addictive and since it's so quick to make, you might find yourself with a little peanut butter belly if you're not careful, haha.

"If you can't control your peanut butter, you can't expect to control your life"
- Bill Watterson (author of Calvin & Hobbes)

-- Sarah