February 15, 2009

Peanut Butter is the new black


Every Wednesday we get together with friends to watch the latest episode of Lost. (Any Lost fans out there? Time travel is getting cra-zy. Leave theories in the comments!) Each week it's someone's turn to host the group and make dinner, usually something like Mac'n'cheese or chili or burritos, something relatively inexpensive to feed a group. But last week was the cheapest of them all: PB&J. Entertain a crowd while watching your budget? Yes.

I wasn't so sure about this at first. But peanut butter is pretty good for you, right? It was a good fit for our group of combined meat eaters and vegetarians. And then it got really interesting because of all the Fixins. That's right: Fixins. This is a new term in American language, appealing to children and adults who act like children. So it was perfect. My contribution was a spread to accompany or replace peanut butter in the sandwiches – I also think it works well as a dip for fruit slices. Here's the recipe:

Sweet Potato Apple Spread
1 can sweet potato
(the only ingredient on the can should be "sweet potatoes")
8 oz. tofu
2 Tbl. maple syrup
1 granny smith apple
4 Tbl. olive oil
1/8 tsp. each: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves

Chop apple into tiny pieces and cook in a pan over medium heat until soft and fragrant. Combine all ingredient in food processor and blend.


We filled our sandwiches with things like apple slices, celery sticks, honey, Fluff, bacon, pickles, jalepenos, etc...most things tasted surprisingly good, though I did not try the jalepenos... The nicest part was the homemade whole wheat bread that we piled it all on. Or maybe the nicest part was how we grilled 'em up after we were done constructing our masterpieces.



All in all a fun time. And I think we may have all learned a few good lessons. Like, peanut butter and pickles is a delicious combination. And, food combining is an important science that should be taken seriously to avoid stomach upset for the next 4 days. Don't look at me...my somewhat healthy sandwich is the one pictured up above with fruit and 1 experimental piece of bacon. But Max's...he even included the non-fixin items like rice krispie treats that were meant for dessert. You've been warned.


11 comments:

Lauren said...

I haven't tried it, but a peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich sounds tasty to me!

lisa h. said...

interesting, i'll have to keep it in mind.

i recently came across your blog looking for other healthy food ideas...i also LOVE lost! i read eyemsick.blogspot.com for great theories.

i linked you on my blog...i just started w/ some friends, a place to share healthy ideas.

lisahealthyeats.blogspot.com

The Fat Dietitian said...

PB and fluff sandwiches bring me back... :)

Anonymous said...

this post made me smile in a big way. maybe because i've been craving PB for about a week now.

Anonymous said...

What a fabulous idea! And your spread sounds heavenly--I've wondered how pumpkin and apple would work in a spread, but I think I'd like it with sweet potato even better!

Culinary Wannabe said...

That looks...ummm..interesting! :) Someone must be pregnant in the group! And we are huge Lost fans too! I can't stand the week between episodes. There's so much going on right now I'm always on that Lostpedia site for reminders of all the info we have.

Deborah said...

What a great idea! I love a good pb&j, so I should start some experimenting!

Lori said...

I've got to try that spread. It sounds amazing! The bacon actually sounds really good. Anything sweet/salty always sounds good to me. :)

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Looove LOST!!

SWEET POTATO APPLE SPREAD?!?!??! Holy yum to the extreme.

Erica said...

oh my gosh- how fun is this! Love it! I am so excited for lost tonight- I am giddy! Sorry I haven't gotten back to you about a time to chat on the phone- I promise I will! This week/next week are just crazy for us!

JP Smith said...

I know this blog is old news now, but I had to tell you about what I call my Thai PB&J. Spread your favorite peanut butter on one slice of whatever breadlike substance you like, drizzle your favorite hot sauce on top and schmere it around with the knife. Cover that with fresh basil leaves (I didn't have thai basil and it still worked fine). Now spread Ginger marmalade on your other slice of bread and press together. Mmmmmm. I haven't tried any variations yet, But I really want to try it as a wrap and add green onions, sprouts and a squeeze of lime. I also imagine any other nut butters or tahini combined with lime marmalade, plum jam or even roasted figs might make for some interesting variations.