In light of
National Peanut Butter Month, I decided to write out my top 10 Favorite Ways to
Consume Peanut Butter. I could probably write more…But I would hate to bore
you. Or if this is the first post of mine you’re reading, weird you out so much
you choose not to come back. Hopefully, that won’t be the case.
My 10 Favorite
Ways to Consume Peanut Butter:
#10 - Out of
the Jar
Pure peanut
butter, nothing gets in its way, nothing violates it, just peanut butter. My
dessert is often one or two (or three) scoops of peanut butter. And since I
often have much more than one type in the house, I have a wonderfully varied
dessert.
#9 - Peanut
Butter and Yogurt
I love Greek
yogurt. Being lactose intolerant, it gets difficult to eat it. There are some
brands that sell alternatives, however, there aren’t many stores reasonably
near me that sell it. So I made my own. Using So Delicious yogurt and PB2
(powdered peanut butter) plus a vast amount of peanut butter, I’ve created
(what I think) is an even better version. Leaving the mixture in the fridge for
as long as possible allows it to thicken up to mimic the texture of Greek
yogurt.
#8 - Oatmeal
Oatmeal is one
of my first choice bases to work off of, while it has a flavor it’s not
overbearing and goes with pretty much anything. Adding peanut butter helps to
make it thicker (I like thick foods, haha). Oatmeal, even Old Fashioned, can
have a big impact on my blood sugar, so having some protein in there helps
balance things out. Plus, not only thick, the oatmeal gets gooey; gooey oatmeal
is never a bad thing.
#7 - Instead
of Milk
It started out
with just Cheerios. It was an improvisation on dinner at work. I had planned
yogurt and peanut butter, but upon opening my yogurt I found a nice blot of
mold. Figured that would be bad to eat. It then spread of Honey Nut Cheerios,
then an organic version. Then, one of the best choices I’ve ever made came into
existence: Peanut Butter and Honey Bunches of Oats. If you follow my Twitter or
Tumbler account, you realize just how obsessed I am with this dish. I use a
50/50 mix of Honey Roasted and With Almonds flavors, and then coat them in
excessive amounts of peanut butter.
#6 - Peanut
Butter Pasta
Peanut Butter
Pasta is my version of Mac and Cheese. Don’t get grossed out, I don’t use
cheese. The sauce that coats the pasta is water, peanut butter, PB2 (seriously,
if you haven’t already, look it up. You need to.), and spices. I tend to like
my food with flavor but hot. I add cumin, curry, red pepper, cinnamon, and
sometimes a little nutmeg (minuscule amounts); besides the nutmeg, I usually
add a good dosage of each. The sauce, as it cools, tightens and thickens around
the pasta (again, with the thickening, what can I say?).
#5 - Between
the Bread
Classic. No
way to get past it. Toasted, roasted, grilled, refrigerated, or even as is. Not
much else to say, honestly. It’s a sandwich, who doesn’t love a sandwich?
#4 - With Rice
Please believe
me. Please, please believe me. It tastes good. It really does. Make a good
batch of rice throw in just enough peanut butter to flavor and bring the rice
all together but not enough to be obnoxious. Peanut butter and rice is sticky,
silky, good warm or cold, and mushy. (Mushy in my book is a good thing, if a
food is supposed to be mushy.) Like, not soupy mushy, but not grainy or crunchy
(less you prefer crunchy peanut butter, in that case it should be crunchy).
#3 - Ants on a
Log
You know how
all different things can bring a person back to a memory? Well, I’m extremely
sensitive to tastes. Apple juice and Pringles bring me back to sleepovers at my
Grandparent’s. Ants on a Log brings me back to my childhood. I think of my
mother, when she shared her favorite treats with my brother and I. Besides the
way that celery’s watery, crunch and the chewy sweetness of raisins mixes
heavenly with Jif peanut butter, my love for Ants on a Log is almost completely
about the sensory experience.
#2 - In Sweet
Potato
I thought I
was weird for this one. Then I joined Tumblr. Apparently, it’s not so weird. So
you should try it. Because frankly, it’s number two on this list. Which should
say a lot. In sweet potato soup, sweet potato mash, just on a sweet potato, or
any other way you can think of. The distinct sweet potato flavor plus the
nuttiness of peanut butter…I’m sort of at a loss for words with it.
#1 - Out of
the Jar
