Peanut Butter and Banana Breakfast Sandwich

Blogging Marathon# 59: Week 2/ Day 1

Theme: Instant Breakfast

Dish: Peanut Butter & Banana Sandwich

My theme for this week's blogging marathon is 'Instant Breakfast' and Valli wants it to be a quick dish that can be made in less than 20 minutes. So I have 3 easy to make dishes that are filling and delicious.

Breakfast in my household is usually cereal, oats or quick sandwiches, I don't usually cook anything elaborate except for when we have company. So this instant breakfast recipe theme is definitely up my alley and I'm going to share them here this week.

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Indonesian Tofu Satay for #Food of the World

For this month's #Food of the world event, we are visiting the beautiful island of Aruba. It is an island country in the southern Caribbean sea. It is one of the 4 constituent countries that form the Kingdom of Netherlands along with the Netherlands, Curaçao and Sint Maarten. 

Traditional Aruban cuisine includes dishes with goat meat, stoba-stew pots filled with vegetables that are locally grown - fish and maize. Finding a vegetarian recipe turned out to be quite challenging. Luckily Mir, my dear blog buddy and a fellow food of the world member, offered to help because her mom is Aruban. I jumped right away and took up the offer.

She emailed me quite a few vegetarian options for Aruban food. She also mentioned that Aruba has a very large population of Indonesian because it is a Dutch island and Indonesia was the largest former Dutch Island. and Arubans also eat a lot of Indonesian food.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie

This is one of the 3 pies along with Sweet Potato Pecan Pie that I made at the pie making class last month. The crust here is super simple, it's just crumbled cookies mixed with some melted butter. I guess the chef wanted to teach us a very easy crust along with the ones that are a bit more elaborate.
The filling is the highlight of this pie. I wasn't sure if I would like the peanut butter in the filling, but when I tasted it -- it was a dynamite. Peanut butter taste is not too assertive, but plays a nice balance to the cream cheese and brown sugar.

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Zimbabwe -- Dobi (Spinach & Tomato with Peanut Butter sauce)

BM# 44: A-Z Cooking Series -- Around the World in 30 days
Country: Z for Zimbabwe

Dish: Dobi (Spinach & Tomato with Peanut Butter sauce)

We are moving on to the last and final letter Z and we are going to Zimbabwe today. Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in southern Africa, between Zambezi & Limpopo rivers.
Zimbabwean cuisine is much like the other African countries. They rely on a few staple foods. Cornmeal is used to make porridge called sadza or isitshwala and is usually served with meat and vegetables. Rice, pasta and potato based foods also make up part of Zimbabwean cuisine. A local favorite is rice cooked with peanut butter that is served with thick gravy, mixed vegetables and meat.

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Uganda -- G-Nut Sauce (Ugandan Peanut Sauce with Chickpeas)

BM# 44: A-Z Cooking Series -- Around the World in 30 days

Country: U for Uganda

Dish: G-Nut Sauce
We are going to Uganda today. It is a landlocked country in East Africa. Ugandan cuisine is influenced by English, Arab, Asian and especially Indian cuisines. Main dishes are usually centered on a sauce or stew of groundnuts/ peanuts, beans or meat.The starch traditionally comes from Ugali (maize meal) in the North and East or Matoke (boiled and mashed green banana) in Central, or a Millet Ugali in the west.
Many tribes in Uganda have their own specialty dish or delicacy. Many dishes include starchy vegetables like Cassava, yam and African sweet potato. Various leafy greens are grown in Uganda.Fruits such as pineapple and bananas are plentiful.

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Vegan Gado Gado recipe

Blogging Marathon# 37: Week 1/ Day 1
Theme: National Dishes from around the World
Dish: Indonesia -- Gado Gado

We are starting this month's blogging marathon today and my theme for the first week is 'National dishes from countries around the world'. I didn't really realize each country has it's own national dish until I started researching for this theme. There is a whole list of national dishes on Wiki. Some countries have more than one national dish.

Choosing 3 dishes from countries all over the world was quite a challenge. I was really happy to see 3 dishes that have been on my to-make list on Wiki's list. So for the first day, I have Indonesian national dish "Gado Gado'.

Gado Gado is an Indonesian salad that is served with a creamy peanut sauce. This salad usually has both cooked and raw veggies along with boiled eggs, fried tofu and tempeh. Most of the ingredients for the salad are customizable. I read somewhere that boiled potatoes and eggs are absolute must and everything else is optional. I skipped the eggs and made this a vegan salad.

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Peanut Butter Cookies

This month we are baking cookies for Home Bakers Challenge. Viji @ Virunthu Unna Vaanga gave us quite a few options to choose from. I made 2 different cookies as I had to bake cookies for two separate parties and what better way to try 2 recipes. Both of them turned out great.

Today I've Peanut butter cookies and I used Dorie Greenspan's recipe instead of Martha Stewart's recipe that was given to us by Viji. Martha Stewart's recipe only had 3 stars and since I was making these for a lunch party, I wanted to make use a recipe that would definitely work. So I used the recipe from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From my Home to Yours cookbook.

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Vegetarian Summer Rolls (Vegetarian Vietnamese Rolls)

Blogging Marathon# 30: Week 2/ Day 1
Theme: Get it Rolled
Dish: Summer Rolls (Vietnamese Rolls)

We are starting our 2nd of Blogging Marathon# 30 today and my theme for this week is "Get it Rolled". Any dish that is cooked rolled or served as a roll. Summer rolls were the first thing that came to my mind and with the temperatures soaring in the 90s (degree Fahrenheit), these are perfect no-cook rolls that are filling, healthy and delicious. They are salad rolled up into a portable package -- easy to eat and very convenient.

Summer rolls are very versatile and any of your favorite veggies can be used. I followed Nupur's recipe for Summer rolls. The spicy peanut dipping sauce is to die for -- its salty, spicy, sweet and very addictive.

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Sweet Potato Curry with Peanut sauce

Blogging Marathon# 27: Week 3/ Day 5
Theme: Seasonal Dishes - Fall Entree
Dish: Sweet Potato Curry with Peanut Sauce

Before I talking about Fall and the dish, just wanted to tell you what my 5 year old asked me this morning: "Weekend separates one week from the other, that means weekend has to be really strong, right??" I was like 'I guess so', not knowing what else to tell him.

We say fall is in the air as soon as the days start to get shorter. We have sunlight until around 8:30PM in summers i.e., June-August. Around the end of August, it starts to get dark around 7:00PM and nights start to get chilly. There's a slight nip in the air and the trees start slowly changing color. Its beautiful to watch trees go from green-yellow-red, very pretty. What's not pretty is when the leaves start to fall and you have to clean the yard constantly :-(

We crave for dishes that are spicy, warm and comforting. This is one such dish that gets its spiciness from ginger, garlic and some good dose of sriracha hot sauce. It is quick and easy to make too, perfect for weeknight meals. I added some chopped Chinese Broccoli, but any hearty greens like kale, collard greens or swiss chard can be used.

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Vegan African Squash & Sweet Potato Stew

We have been having trouble with our electricity at home, thanks to the crummy contractor we hired to renovate our bathrooms a year ago. He messed up the internal wiring and now whenever we try to start the computer or run a vacuum, the fuse blows up. So had been away from the computer for the past 4-5 days. Hopefully we'll have it fixed (with a licensed professional this time) very soon.

Coming to today's recipe, I never thought Peanut butter based dishes could be this tasty. I was ranting and raving about this dish ever since I tried it. Peanut butter gives this stew both creaminess and slight sweetness that complement the texture and sweetness of both squash and the sweet potato.

Very simple to put together and the ingredients can be easily substituted with what you have on hand. I used butternut squash, but you can easily use any other winter squash like acorn or kabocha or even sweet pumpkin (thiyya gummadikaya). You can add cooked chickpeas or cannellini beans to add protein and make the dish more wholesome. Stew can be made as spicy as your palette can tolerate or bland-I think mine was somewhere in the middle. Served over rice or couscous, this is a very filling and comforting dish.

Recipe adapted from Vegetarian times.
Ingredients:
Butternut squash – 2-3 cups, peeled and diced (½ of a medium sized squash)
Sweet Potato – 1 medium, peeled and diced
Onion – 1 medium, chopped

Other Veggies – 2 cups chopped, I used frozen mixed veggies which had cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini and carrots. Feel free to use any veggies you have on hand. Original recipe only had cauliflower.

Ginger – 1” piece, finely grated
Garlic – 2 cloves, minced
Fresh Red Chili (like fresno chili) – 2, slit
Diced tomatoes – 1 15 oz. can (or 3 fresh ripe tomatoes chopped)
Peanut butter – ¼ cup
Cinnamon – 1/8tsp
Chili powder – ½ - 1 tsp (or to taste)
Salt – to taste

Method:

• Heat 1tbsp peanut oil in a large pan, add onions and sauté till transparent.
• Add ginger & garlic and cook for 1 minute.
• Next add sweet potatoes and butternut squash along with ½ cup of water or vegetable broth. Cover and cook till the veggies are half cooked.
• Add the remaining veggies; cover and cook on medium heat till all the veggies are cooked through, about 15 minutes.
• Stir in tomatoes along with cinnamon, chili powder, salt and ½ cup of water or broth. Cover and cook till the stew thickens a little bit.
• Whisk peanut butter with 3tbsp warm water into slurry. Slowly stir in peanut butter into the stew and simmer for 4-5 minutes.
• Serve warm over rice or couscous.

Homemade Granola-Healthy Start to the New Year

Hope everyone enjoyed the Holiday season. To start the New Year on a healthy note, I’ve two easy granola recipes. I gave Granola as Holiday give-away gifts this year to my co-workers and everyone seemed to like them, so I’m glad that I took time to make some home-made granola instead of buying things that I’m not if they are going to use or not.

Quick & Easy Granola: First granola I made is extremely easy and I just followed the most basic granola formula-Grains+Seeds/Nuts+Mixings+Dry fruit+Sweetener+Flavoring. So here’s how I made this simple granola:

Ingredients:
Rolled oats (Grains)– 4cups
Wheat Germ (Mixing) – ½cup
Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas) – ¼cup
Sliced Almonds – 1 cup
Pure Maple syrup – ½ cup
Canola Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - ½tsp
Dry cherries – ½ cup
Raisins – ½ cup

Method:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Toss the oats, almonds, wheat germ, pepitas with the maple syrup, oil and salt in a large mixing bowl.
• Spread the mixture evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, tossing once, until golden and crisp, about 25 to 30 minutes.
• Add the dried fruit as soon as the granola comes out of the oven and toss to combine.
• Let cool. Keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Granola: When I saw this recipe in 500 Vegan Recipes cookbook, I could only think of one of my co-workers. She always has PB&J sandwiches for lunch and I wanted to make a batch of this granola just for her.

Ingredients:

Old fashioned Rolled Oats – 1½ cups

Brown Rice powder – ½ cup, divided

Creamy Peanut Butter – ¼cup

Your favorite Jelly/ Jam – ¼ cup (I used blackberry jam)

Sugar - 2tbsp

Cinnamon - ½tsp

Water - ¼cup

Salt - ¼tsp

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Combine the peanut butter, sugar and water in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30-60 seconds so that the peanut better is more manageable.
• Stir in 2tbsp of brown rice flour, cinnamon, salt and oats. The mixture will be very thick and quite unmanageable at this point, just place it on the baking sheet and combine using your fingers.
• Sprinkle the remaining 2tbsp of brown rice flour on top and work it in gently until it is completely incorporated. Try not to break the granola chunks too much while doing this.
• Add the jam in little pieces, try to leave them as chunks or bits instead of mixing and coating the granola.
• Spread the mixture evenly on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake for 8 minutes. Stir well.
• Bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown.
• Let cool and transfer into an airtight container. Store in the fridge once completely cooled.

I also made Chocolate-Cherry Granola from Nupur's blog and kept a container for myself after giving away 3 of them. Homemade granola is extremely easy, quick and very inexpensive to make. Compare them to the ones you get in the grocery store, they are fresh and not laden with preservatives and chemicals. I'll sure be making these granolas more this year.

Announcing JFI - August ’09: Peanuts

Let me start my thanking Indira (@ Mahanandi) for giving me the opportunity to host Jihva For Ingredients (JFI). In Indira’s words “Jihva for Ingredients (JFI) is an online monthly food event, celebrating the Ingredients and what they can do for our Jeeva.”

So for this month’s JFI, I have chosen PEANUTS as the ingredient. Let me pass on some of the Gyan (knowledge) I gained browsing the internet:

• Peanut is actually not a nut; it is a species in the legume family and is related to chick peas and other beans.
• They start growing as a ground flower that due to its heavy weight bends towards the ground and eventually burrows underground where the peanut actually matures.
  
• India is the second largest producer of peanuts next only to China (US is 4th on the list).
  
• Peanuts are a very good source of monounsaturated fats, the type of fat that is emphasized in the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet.
  
• Peanuts are a rich source of protein with 30gms per cup after roasting. Peanuts are a good source of niacin and thus contribute to brain health, brain circulation and blood flow.
  
• Peanuts are native to South America, Mexico and Central America. Evidence demonstrates that peanuts were domesticated in prehistoric times in Peru. Archeologists have thus far dated the oldest specimens to about 7,600 years before the present. It was then introduced to Europe by Spanish conquistadors. The legume gained western popularity when it came to the United States from Africa. It had become popular in Africa after being brought there from Brazil by the Portuguese.
  
• The moral of this story is Peanuts have come a long way from their roots in South America and they are being used and enjoyed world wide in some form or the other.

Coming to the rules:

• Come up with a recipe that has PEANUTS (Raw/ Roasted/ Boiled) or PEANUT BUTTER as one of the main ingredients. Cooking in peanut oil or using chopped peanuts as garnish are not allowed, Sorry.
  
• Email me the link to your post on or before July 31st, 2009.
  
• Please make the dishes Vegetarian; cheese & eggs are allowed.
• Include a link in your post to this announcement and to Indira's site (themahanandi.org).
  
• If you have recipes that are already posted, repost and include a link to this announcement and Indira’s site.
• Use of Logo is optional, but much appreciated if used.
  
• Email me at cookshideout@gmail.com with the following information.

1. Name
2. Blog Name
3. Entry Name
4. Entry URL
5. Picture of your creation in any size.
   

Thai Broccoli Salad

I got paired with 28 Cooks for this month's Taste and Create XIII edition created and hosted by Rachel @ For the love of food. Fiber @ 28 Cooks calls herself a Vegaquarian and her blog has a wide variety of vegetarian and vegan recipes. Her hearty vegetarian sub, Curried Lo Mein and Black Bean cakes are on my must-make list. For the event I made Broccoli salad with Thai peanut sauce. It was simple, but full of flavor.

Ingredients:
Peanut butter, smooth - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 1 1/2 tbsp
Hot water - 1 1/2 tbsp
Lime juice - 1 1/2 tbsp
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Sesame oil - 1 1/2 tsp
Red pepper flakes - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp
Broccoli florets - 2 bunches
Bell pepper - 1 medium, julienned (I used 1 green bell pepper)
Carrot - 1 medium, julienned
Onion - 1 medium, thinly sliced
Garlic - 3 cloves, minced

Method:

• Blend peanut butter, sugar, water, lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, and pepper flakes until well blended and set aside.
• Heat oil over medium high heat in a large pan. Add the veggies and garlic, and stir-fry until tender crisp.
• Remove from heat, place in a large bowl and pour dressing over it. Mix well and serve.

This salad is quick, filling and delicious. I would add fried tofu for a complete meal next time.