Nik's Peanut Stew

Don't ask me why, but I'm always hesitant to share recipes that use specialty ingredients. I guess I want you guys all to have fair access to the food I make, but I think my egalitarian attitude has prevented far too many recipes from going on this blog.

Well, the buck stops here!

I was poking around on Pinterest and found this recipe for West African peanut stew. I was searching on behalf of La Petite Diva (my youngest daughter) because she has been vegetarian for about a year now and so I figure she's committed enough for me to start thinking outside the box (she's my culinarily adventurous child).

So when I went to make it I thought I had all the ingredients but I didn't. And then in thinking about modifications, the inevitable happened. I started thinking "I wonder if this would be good if I added..." Yeah...I started playing with my food!

The result is REALLY yummy. The kid liked it. I liked it. Even though it's got peanut butter, that's not the dominant flavor here. It is noteworthy that this dish can be easily made with chicken (and if you've ever had Thai-style chicken skewers you can relate to the flavor of peanuts and chicken together) to bump up the protein. Just use my meat marinating technique to ensure tender chicken, grill it up and then add it into the recipe where I indicate below!

Nik's Peanut Stew
(Makes about 1 post-op + 3-5 "non-op" servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• 1 onion diced (I used a regular yellow onion)
• 3 tomatoes diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 can of diced carrots, drained
• 1 tsp. of ground ginger
• 1 tsp. garam masala
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. tumeric
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 2 c. water.
• 1 c. creamy peanut butter (you can use chunky if you like the texture)
• 4 oz. tomato paste
• 1/4 c. hot sauce (I agree with the source recipe...Sriracha is best!)
• 2 cans of garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
• 1 bag (about 3 c.) baby spinach

Directions:

Set a soup pot over medium heat and allow it to get hot. Add olive oil, onions tomatoes and garlic. Sautee 2-3 minutes.

Add peas and carrots along, spices and water, stir, and drop your heat down to low. Cover the pot and allow the mixture to come to a boil.

In a mixing bowl, combine peanut butter with tomato paste (I do this with a whisk but a regular mixing spoon works too) until thoroughly combined. Ladle some of the veggie mixture into the bowl and use it to thin out the mixture before adding it all back into the pot.

Stir well then add the hot sauce. (My advice is to add it 2 tablespoons at a time until you reach a flavor you like. I like spicy food so I just went for it!)

Finally add the garbanzo beans and baby spinach and stir. (NOTE: If you are using cooked chicken meat, add it at this point!) Cover the pot and allow it to simmer on medium-low for 25-30 minutes (just to let the flavors love on one another).

I served La Petite Diva hers over brown rice and mine over cauliflower rice. I like this! It's tart, creamy and savory all at the same time. I love "eating outside the box!"

Here are some outtake pictures:

Nik's Roasted Red Pepper Puree Soup

Show here with two Parmesan crisps. To make, simply bake small heaps of Parmesan cheese in a 350 degree oven until they harden, about 12 minutes.

I like this soup. A LOT.

What I like best about it is its versatility. For newer post-ops this soup is quick, comforting and gives you something that is not sweet. For longer-term folks this is a great base to a bajillion other things!

Let’s get right to the recipe. This is a “semi-homemade” sort of deal. The recipe resulted from an overage of roasted red pepper bruschetta topping I made for a baby shower. So I decided to make it into a soup.

I’ll let you know both the semi-homemade and the for-real homemade versions of this. Here we go!

Nik's Roasted Red Pepper Puree Soup

• 1 medium yellow onion quartered
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
• Any other random veggies you have hanging out (the above had zucchini, yellow squash, spinach and a bit of eggplant I had hanging out in the fridge)
• Non-stick cooking spray
• 2 (12 oz.) jars of roasted red peppers, preferably in oil (you can get any kind you like – in my store I saw it with garlic and one that was spicy. I chose the spicy one) Here's what they look like BUT don't buy online, get it from the grocery store!
• 1 small can of sliced black olives
• 1/2 c. water
• ½ c. fat-free half and half or milk
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the quartered onion, garlic cloves and any veggies you use (except spinach or other greens). Spray them generously with non-stick cooking spray and roast for about 20 minutes or until onions begin to caramelize (brown). Roast the vegetables before proceeding to the next step.

In a colander, drain jarred red peppers of the excess oil but do not rinse (if you buy peppers packed in water, you'll probably want to use a little oil - a teaspoon or so - in the next step).

Spray a small pot with non-stick cooking spray and allow it get hot. Place red peppers in the pot, along with any leafy greens (like spinach), olives, your roasted veggies and spices. If the mixture lacks moisture (there should be a little bit of liquid in there) add some water. After stirring, add your milk or half and half.

Bring the mixture to a boil and then drop the heat to low and simmer about 20 minutes. Add half and half. Then, using an immersion blender OR working in batches with a regular blender, puree the soup. Allow it to simmer an additional 10 minutes.

TO MAKE COMPLETELY HOMEMADE: When you roast the rest of your veggies, roast about 5 or 6 red peppers as well. When the peppers are done roasting you’ll need to let them cool so you can remove their skins. Because you are pureeing the soup you don’t need to slice them unless you want to. Instead of using non-stick in the pot with your veggies after roasting, heat 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil then add the veggies in to cook along with any water you use. That’s it!

So you can eat this soup straight up but it’s a bit rich. I didn’t take pics of all the ways I used mine (I had a big batch) but here are some things I did:

• For my vegetarian daughter I tossed some spinach/cheese ravioli and that became her dinner one night
• I added some jumbo shrimp and ate some over zoodles (noodles made with zucchini using a vegetable spiralizer)

One day for a quick lunch I combined some leftover cheesy mashed cauliflower with the soup and a few left over mini-crab cakes (from an event I attended) and made a super yummy lunch (picture below)

In my humble opinion this soup would also go very well with frying cheese. Never heard of it? It’s a cheese that’s sold in some supermarkets (Trader Joe’s sells it as do a lot of ethnic supermarkets). It’s a mild, buttery cheese that comes in big blocks. When you throw it in a pan, it crisps on the outside and gets soft on the inside just like…a grilled cheese sandwich! I think a hunk of frying cheese would go great with this as a dipper.

Any way you decide to have it, though, it’s gonna be GOOD!

#PWMF Recipe Contest Snack Winner: Kimberly's Espresso Protein Balls



We’ve come to the final recipe winner, so I suppose I should say something about when the free contest recipe e-book will come out, eh?

Setting an exact date is tricky, because as soon as I do the universe begins to work against it. That said, I will try my very best to have the e-book done by Sunday, November 9. IMPORTANT: Once the 2014 e-book goes up, I’m taking the 2013 e-book down for a while (don’t call me a meanie, my shopping cart software only lets me have so many files without charging me up the wazoo!), so use this link to download your FREE copy before it goes POOF!

Ok! Now that we’re done housekeeping, let’s talk snacks. I like snacks. Do you like snacks? Or maybe you’re a bit afraid of snacks. Understandable. There is a very fuzzy line between a snack and grazing and most of us just don’t want to take the chance. But a good snack can help you get needed calories and nutrients and keep your blood sugar stable, especially in longer stretches between meals (like the dreaded “lunch to dinner” stretch).

That’s why I included a snack category in this year’s contest. And here’s your winning entry!

Kimberly’s Chocolate Espresso Balls
(inspired by the Protein Power Ball recipe on the Bariatric Foodie site)

Ingredients:

• 1 c crushed Cracklin Oat Bran cereal (or high-fiber cereal of your choice)*
• 1/3 c. Chocolate PB2 (Nik Note: In the absence of peanut flour ¼ c. natural peanut butter + 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder would do but note that raises the calorie count significantly – and no I’m still not telling you the calories, sorry!)
• 3 scoops of Click protein mix (any flavor; I usually do 2 scoops Decaf Mocha and 1 scoop Vanilla)
• 2 packets no-calorie sweetener
• 1/2 c. skim milk
• Optional: 2 tbsp. sugar free chocolate chips

Directions:

Put cereal, PB2 and Click into a mixing bowl and stir well.

Add Splenda. Stir well.

Add milk 1 Tablespoon at a time, mixing after each. Stop adding milk when consistency is a moist dough, not sticky.

Stir in chocolate chips, if using.

Check the consistency of the mixture, by rolling a small amount into a ball. It should easily form a ball, but be dry enough it doesn't stick to your hands. If the mixture is too sticky, put it in the refridgeerator for 30 minutes. The cereal will soak up the excess moisture and make it easier to roll
Roll dough into balls, using rounded tablespoon-full will give you about 24 balls.

Place balls into airtight container and store in fridge. Note: the longer they are stored, the softer the cereal will become. They are best within the first 2-3 days)

Judge Maryann said she liked the recipe because it produced a snack that was snack-sized that is tasty and adds protein to her day! Here's Maryann's picture of the Espresso Protein Balls.

#PWMF Recipe Contest Dessert Winner: Sue's Pumpkin Cheesecake



 

Y’all thought I forgot about the rest of the “Play With My Food” recipe contest winners, didn’t you?

NOPE! We’ve got two more Foodies to feature.

First up, Sue! She submitted a yummy WLS-friendly dessert recipe that judge Denise thought was out of sight!

Sue’s Pumpkin Cheesecake

 Here is Sue's entry photo:

Ingredients:

• 1 -8oz pkg Greek Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 scoop vanilla or unflavored protein powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4c. + 2Tbs Truvia baking blend
• 1 small can packed pumpkin
• 1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

In a bowl beat cream cheese until smooth and add in protein powder, vanilla and 1/2 of the Truvia. 

Mix well.  Add eggs one at a time and mix well after each one. 

Add pumpkin, remaining Truvia and spice.  Mix well.

Pour into a sprayed glass pie plate.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. 

Nik Notes:

 I have extensive cheesecake experience so you KNOW I have to put in my three cents!

• Those of you who have followed my blog for a while know of my quest for a cheesecake free of cracks! For some of you, cracks are no problem so long as it's yummy! And sometimes (especially if you're having guests) presentation is more important. If you’d like to lessen the likelihood of cracks, it’s a simple thing to do. Just put an oven-safe pot of HOT water into the oven when you put your cheesecake mixture in there. The cheesecake doesn’t need to sit IN the water, you can put the water on the same or another rack. The steam helps it cook gently.
• I also have always cooked cheesecakes at 325 for 35 minutes, turned the oven off, and left it open a crack to finish cooking as the oven cools down. Why? Because Alton Brown told me to!
• Lastly, if you have a springform pan those make cheesecake extraction a snap! Just make sure to line the bottom with parchment paper so you can easily get it off the pan.

Here’s what Denise said about Sue’s cheesecake!

"The texture was moist and smooth. Flavor was good. Kid liked it. Passed all tests. Lol. Not as dense as classic cheesecake, but I didn't expect it to be. Easy, protein enhanced, and yummy."

The very first picture in this post is a slice of the cheesecake Denise made according to Sue's recipe. Here's a picture of the entire cheesecake:

#PWMF Recipe Contest Dinner Winner: Erin's Creamy Chicken Fajita Soup

 

 

(Heh...Dinner Winner...ok...moving along...)

 

Dinner! I don’t know about you but it’s always been a challenging meal for me.

I think it’s the finality of it all. Like dinner. It means you’re, like, done. With food. For the rest of the day. (In my head.)

My issues aside, a good, WLS-friendly dinner the entire family can eat is worth its weight in gold. It means you don’t have to play short-order cook to your family and you can all sit down and eat the same thing at the same time (theoretically). That’s important.

Hillery, our dinner judge, is a working girl. She manages to pack a lot into her day and now she’s having a baby! So she was looking for a good dinner that doesn’t take long to make, that both she and her hubby can enjoy.

Here’s her pick.

Erin’s Creamy ​Chicken Fajita Soup

Ingredients:

• 4 C. boneless, skinless chicken breasts , shredded
• 1 whole onion, diced
• 1 (28 Oz. Size) Can Stewed Tomatoes
• 2 (14.5 Oz. Size) Cans Great Northern Beans
• 2 (14.5 Oz. Size) Cans of Sweet Corn
• 2 (14.5 Oz. Size) Diced Carrots
• 8 C. Low-Sodium, Fat-Free Chicken Broth
• 8 Oz. Plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 Package of Fajita Seasoning
• Garlic Powder. Salt, Pepper to taste

Add chicken breasts to slow cooker. Add enough water to cover meat and cook on low for 6 hours. Take cooked chicken out, once cool enough shred meat. Set chicken aside.

Remaining liquid can be added with chicken broth.

Drain and rinse beans, carrots and sweet corn, set aside.

In stockpot, add diced onions and saute on low for 1-2 minutes. Add chicken broth, remaining liquid and greek yogurt. Bring to a boil and stirring constantly until smooth.

Add to stock pot, whole can of stewed tomatoes, package of fajita seasoning, beans, carrots, sweet corn and chicken.

Reduce heat, add garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Note: If you have picky eaters at home, I puree my beans and tomatoes prior to adding.

Additional add ins depending on tastes:

• Hot Sauce
• Diced Jalapenos
• Diced Green Chilis
• Use 1 can of Black Beans, 1 can Great Northern Beans
• Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese for topping

Unfortunately, Hillery had a family emergency (NOT the baby!) that has prevented her from snapping a pic of Erin's dish, but she assures you all that she loved it and will snap a pic and send it in very soon. I'll update when I get it.

 

Congrats, Erin! Keep playing with your food!