African Peanut Stew

It was brought to my attention yesterday that I am a non-discriminatory snacker. An equal opportune-snackist, if you will. Pretty much... I love all the snacks. I never really thought about it before, but it's so true! 

If someone argued that pretzels were a great snack, I might agree. Cheese and crackers? Delicious. Fruit? Yum. Chips and salsa? Sure!  Fruit snacks? Fruit leather? Muffins? Ok, pretty much all baked goods (I won't waste your time by listing them all). Chocolate (ahhh peanut m&ms)? Oh YES. Marshmallow fluff straight from the jar? Personal fave. Basically if it's in front of me and I'm hungry.. I'm snacking on it. Anyone else? 

I mean, not to say that I sit around stuffing my face.. I totally don't. But ya.. I like to nibble. On all the snacks.

It can't just be me... Please tell me we have snacks in common.

As I made this delicious and aromatic peanut stew tonight, I snacked on some awesome cheese and crackers. And they were awesome. Why is cheese so good? Someone please tell me.

Dill havarti + Toasted Wheats

And why is this stew so good?

It certainly doesn't look all that good. But, I saw it and I had to have it.

And I'm really glad I tried it out! My instincts rule.

I found the recipe for this African stew at this adorable blog Figsinmybelly just this morning... aaanndd less than 12 hrs later I was enjoying my own version. Hey, what can I say? I was sick of soup and needed a new comfort food.

And hooommmyygooodddd I'm sooo glad I tried it! Score, points, winning, etc. I obviously made a few substitutions, as suggested in the blog post, so for the original recipe please go here or here. As you can see from the difference in the photos on Figsinmybelly, depending on the amount of broth or peanut butter added, you can thicken this stew to your liking. I liked the thicker version a lot. A lot. I kept the basic sauce recipe the same (except increasing some spices because I added chicken).

PS Here's a boy who looks bored. Be happy you're not this bored. 
If you are, 

Soundtrack:

  Tensnake RA 187 - Resident Advisor Podcast // 12-28-2009 by Tensnake

African Peanut Stew
Adapted from Figsinmybelly, G-nut Stew
Serves 4

2 tbsp EVOO
1 med onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
3 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander

3 med chicken breasts, cubed
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 c chicken broth
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 15-oz can chickpeas
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter (or more to taste)

1 15-oz bag baby spinach

4 scallions, diced

In a large stockpot or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and ginger and saute for about 5 minutes (if cooking in a dutch oven add a bit of broth to keep things moist). 

Add cumin, coriander, chicken breasts and sweet potatoes. Continue to saute for another 5 minutes (if using a dutch oven, add broth as necessary to keep things moist).

Add salt, broth, green pepper and chickpeas. Bring the stew to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked though and sweet potatoes are soft.

Add peanut butter and stir until combined into the sauce. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and immediately stir in spinach, adding a handful at a time until wilted and mixed in completely.

Serve with rice, quinoa or couscous (I served with couscous).

Favorite Peanut Stir Fry Sauce

This is...

...hands down, the best stir fry sauce. Ever.

Do you like peanut butter? I'm sure that you do. Because you're cool. I'm cool. We're hip. We're groovin'. And peanut butter is super yummy.

I remember the first time I learned peanut butter was mayyyybee not the best thing to haphazardly eat 5-6 spoonfuls of per day. It was a sad day. One day it's, "Hey, this goo is really good! I can totally snack on this instead of real food whenever I get bored, because goo is totally calorie free!" and the next day it's "Wow, I've totally been consuming an needless average 600-700 calories mindlessly every day." Oh, to be 13 again. Eek.

And just so you know, I'm not the only person who's had this experience with peanut butter. I know others. My aunt, for instance. She told me once (it must have been why I had this revelation, because I don't know why else this story would be so burned in my brain), that she ate it every day when she got home from school, until one day she read the label. So see? I'm not the only one.

But anyway, back to this stir fry sauce. It's my go-to. The peanut butter is thinned out with vinegar and soy sauce and seasoned, to make a tangy, gingery, spicy sauce that you can pour over virtually anything that you're stir-frying. It's that easy. It's that delicious. And I'm sharing it with you. Because I love you.

And because you love me, you're going to follow this link. And vote for my pie. I scratch your big toe, you scratch mine. I'm just kidding. I would never go anywhere near your big toe. I hate feet.

Soundtrack:


Make My f/ Big K.R.I.T. by the_roots  

Favorite Peanut Stir Fry Sauce
Adapted from Eatingwell.com
Serves 2-3


3 tbsp water
4 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp honey
2 tsp minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-4 tsp hot sauce (to taste)


Whisk all ingredients together. Pour over cooked meat and/or slightly sauteed stir-fry vegetables to finish!

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Bacon Truffles

Dood. Really?

Alright folks, here it is! The main attraction. Because what else is there to do in a hurricane, but eat copious amounts of chocolate? And bacon.

Yes, really.

As I write this, Irene is creeping her way up the east coast. It's pouring outside. I'm getting cabin fever and it's only been about 6 hours. (It's not really confirmed, but my ADD might apply elsewhere, not just seasons.) If I turn on the TV, the hurricane is all anyone is talking about. I'm pretty sure that all of our local news channels are having a contest to see who can come up with the most innovative, hi-tech map to detail Irene's path. I wonder what the prize is? Or how it's being judged? All I know, is that I WISH this was a snow storm. Le sigh.


There's not enough alcohol in the world to deal with this nonsense. So, let's move on to chocolate. Or better yet, both!

Really, really.

Let me just preface this by saying: Nothing, I repeat, nothing about this post is healthy. Except maybe that I used dark chocolate. But that's a stretch. Hey, at least I'm honest and upfront about it. Unlike Coca Cola in the case of Vitamin Water. Or Salads from Taco Bell. 


These little gems contain bacon fat. Yes, you heard me. Bacon. Fat. Which sounds gross, but is really just akin to butter or Crisco (ew ::shudder::) in terms of just being another solid fat, if you think about it. For a dessert made with a healthier fat, try this "Slime Time" (avocado frosted) cake. You'll feel better about it in the morning. If a hurricane's got you in the mood for more of a "sometime" food, keep reading. (Keep reading anyway, please humor me!)


Making truffles at home is time consuming in that ganache needs to rest a few hours after being formed, before you can shape it. Oh great, more waiting around, just what we were looking for. But if you're home all day anyway, might as well do something productive. Like cover bacon in chocolate.


Soundtrack: Give this a try!
  Belispeak by PURITY RING
Lofticries by PURITY RING
Ungirthed by PURITY RING


Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Bacon Truffles
Yield about 30 truffles


3 pieces crispy pork bacon, pan fried and chopped finely (make sure to reserve fat!)
12 oz dark chocolate chips, divided (try these, they're my favorite!)
1/8 c. peanut butter (or 2 tbsp if you don't have a 1/8 c measure)
1 1/2 tbsp bacon fat, cooled, but in liquid state (you can get this from pan frying 7-8 pieces of bacon, you'll only use 3 for the truffles, but have fun snacking on the extras! Don't worry about any sediment floating in the fat, it'll add more flavor)
1/2 c heavy cream
red sugar sprinkles (optional, but fun!)


First, in a small bowl, stir the bacon fat into the peanut butter until mixed through. The result will look like runny peanut butter. Set aside.


Place 6 oz of chocolate chips in a large heatproof bowl and have an electric whisk or hand whisk ready. Place the cream in small saucepan over medium heat. Heat just until the cream begins to boil (watch for bubbles at the edge of the pan). Quickly pour cream over chocolate and beat quickly with whisk. The cream will melt the chocolate to form a ganache, which will be smooth, shiny and thick. Check here for tips on how to fix the ganache if it doesn't emulsify properly.


Stir the peanut butter mixture and the bacon pieces into the ganache, using a spatula.


Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or plastic wrap). Spread ganache out into a thin layer using the spatula. Allow ganache to sit for 3-4 hours, until it is the consistency of toothpaste. (And then go brush your teeth. Just kidding.)


Using a spatula, scoop ganache into a gallon ziploc bag (or pastry bag) and cut the tip. Line the cookie sheet with a new sheet of parchment (or plastic wrap) and squirt about 1/2 tbsp of ganache out of the bag onto the cookie sheet. Repeat forming lines. Once all ganache has been divided, refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Just like this little turd

Remove ganache from refrigerator and use clean hands to shape into balls. This gets messy and is best done with cold hands (you can run your hands under cold water before touching the ganache, but make sure to dry!). Keep in mind, they don't have to be perfectly round. Once all the ganache has been smoothed into balls, place back in the refrigerator for another 15-20 minutes.


After 15-20 minutes, use a double-boiler (or make your own by placing a metal bowl in a pan of shallow boiling water. Use a hot mitt to hold the bowl!!) to melt the remaining 6 oz of chocolate, stirring frequently with a spatula. Once chocolate is melted, immediately remove from heat. Bring the chocolate back to room temperature by stirring it around. (It is essential you cool the chocolate back down or you will melt your ganache.)


Dip the ganache balls in the tempered chocolate one at a time, using a fork to roll the around, then drip off excess chocolate. Place coated truffles back on parchment. If you are going to decorate them with sugared sprinkles, make sure to do this before the chocolate hardens. You can dip about 5 truffles, sprinkle, dip 5 more, etc.

Once all truffles are coated in chocolate, refrigerate again until hardened (about 20 minutes). Enjoy!

Start with 2 of my favorite things...
Joy of Cooking and Ghiradelli dark choc chips

I'm sorry. The bacon fat/ peanut butter thing DOESN'T look good.

Greedy. Just greedy.

I'm getting really good at these action shots!

Wet, bacony ganache.

Looks delicious doesn't it?

Little chocolate turds. All in a row.

My g-het-toe double boiler

Greedy. Again.

FlufferNutter Bread

Hello. Good evening. How are ya? I'd like to introduce you to my first guest blog.... Drum roll please.... Internet world, meet Becca. She's awesome and funny. We have that in common. We also both like to dance and make delicious foods (both separately and simultaneously).


 I also LOVE love LOVE love LOVE Fluff. So much so that I have actually received tubs of it as a birthday present on more than on occasion. And I am SO excited about this guest post.


TAKE IT AWAY BECCA:


Hi. My name is Becca. I like to bake (sorry if you don't.) I also like to dance (and I'm really sorry if you don't.) Meghan has graciously allowed me to share a recipe with you, but if we're being completely honest here, I mailed Meghan some baked goods, demanded a guest post in return, and now you're stuck with me. You're welcome.

Meghan and I instantly bonded a little over a year ago through mutual friends. And although I only see her once in awhile, we are practically Internet best friends. Her recipes make me want to eat my computer screen, and one night when I was in Northern Virginia, I was lucky enough to eat two of these to go with the whole pint of chocolate peanut butter ice cream I ate as well.


Don't worry, I'm actively judging myself, too. Those darn cupcakes were like little pieces of heaven in my mouth, and the cupcakes (and Meghan!) deserve a +1 because bananas could be one of my favorite things to bake with. Seriously.


When I go to the store to buy bananas, about 30% of the bananas will go on top of my peanut butter waffles or in smoothies that I make for a quick meal. The other 70% do not have the same fate. They are left to sit on my kitchen counter until I deem them "ready to bake with".

I decided one day that I would take it upon myself to recreate a sandwich that I had as a child growing up. I was that kid in elementary school whose parents' refused to buy them Lunchables unless it was a special occasion. I begged and pleaded with Fred and Zena to buy them because if I didn't show up to school with one for lunch I would be deemed an outcast, and end up with no friends. And look at me now. I'm forcing myself onto food blogs to make invisible Internet friends.

So instead of opening my lunchbox and finding a Lunchable, I would normally find a sandwich of some sort. Ham on a bad day (I don't like ham), and peanut butter on a good day. But, on the best days I would find a fluffernutter sandwich! And everyone knows the ONLY way to have one of these is with a banana, right?! And that is why my friends, the fluffernutter banana bread was born.

In the first batch, the banana overpowered the bread and the marshmallow was an afterthought. I decided then and there I had to bake it again, with some modifications. After some serious deliberation and conversations with myself this past Saturday, I decided to make a second batch. And this one was just right. Since baking with the fluff, I have decided it is the STD of baking. It gets everywhere. It's messy. You find it in places you don't want it to be...I think you get the idea. Maybe you'll want to choose a marshmallow more wisely, ifyoucatchmydrift.

The perfect music to bake to on a rainy afternoon.
Wolf + Lamb Podcast: Slow Hands - Live at Ego (Aug 2011)


Fluffernutter Bread - Yields 1 standard-sized loaf or 3 mini loaves
Inspired by my Childhood

1 stick of butter, softened (Earth Balance is also good, I used this in the second trial)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1.5 cups AP flour (I used a 50/50 combination of AP flour and Whole Wheat pastry flour)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 very ripe medium-sized bananas, a little less than a cup's worth
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (you can substitute sour cream, but I always have Greek yogurt on hand, and the amount of protein (11g) makes me think this bread could be deemed healthy...)
1/2 cup Reese's peanut butter chips
1/4 cup unsalted, natural, creamy pb (I use TJ's peanut butter, it's less than $2.00 a jar here!)
1 cup marshmallow fluff, or miniature marshmallows - set aside a little for garnish


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.


Using a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar - add two eggs to the mixture.


Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Add dry ingredients to your butter mixture, until just combined.


In another bowl, combine the mashed banana, Greek yogurt, and vanilla. Fold in the Peanut butter chips.


Add the banana mixture to the other ingredients, and slowly fold the banana mixture in with the other ingredients.


In a separate pan on the stove, or a microwave safe bowl, melt the peanut butter and marshmallow together.


Grease your pan of choice. Begin the layering process by first adding the batter, and then a generous scoop of peanut butter marshmallow. Using a toothpick, swirl the peanut butter mixture around the batter. Layer more batter on top, and repeat the same process until you are about half-way up the pan. For the top layer, I took some fluff and swirled it on the top, and it gives the bread a nice marshmallow-y, yummy coating.


Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes if you're using mini-pans, or about 55 minutes for the larger pan. If you are unsure if the bread is done baking, see if the edges are dark brown, and stick a toothpick in the middle. If it comes out clean, the bread is done.


Take out of the oven and let the bread rest (in the pan) for 5 minutes, and then transport bread to a wire rack to cool