Peanut butter was the staple food of many childhood lunches, except mine. As a child I didn’t like peanut butter. I think it was the feeling of it sticking to the roof of my mouth. It wasn’t until I was 15 and working as a junior counsellor at a summer camp assigned to make dozens of peanut butter sandwiches for the night lunch that I was tempted to try one. I discovered that it didn’t taste too bad and really didn’t stick to the roof of my mouth.
I have a friend who is gluten intolerant and can’t eat anything that contains wheat. She gave me the following peanut butter cookie recipe that she uses that contains no flour.
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Easy peanut butter cookies
1 cup light, smooth peanut butter 250 mL
1/2 cup sugar 125 mL
1 egg
Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C).
Mix all of the ingredients together until well blended. Roll into 24 balls and place, two inches (five cm) apart, on an ungreased baking sheet. Flatten with a fork. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Do not overbake. Makes two dozen cookies.
Personalize the dough by adding a half cup (125 mL) raisins or chopped, dried cranberries or apricots to the dough before rolling into balls.
Source: www.kraftcanada.com.
Recipe contest
Jif Peanut Butter recently asked residents in Western Canada to come up with unique ways of cooking with peanut butter for a recipe challenge contest.
The grand prize winner, Lauri Percy of Hay River, N.W.T., cooked up apricot chicken with peanut sauce and won $10,000.
Apricot chicken with peanut sauce
Makes: six servings. Freezing is not recommended.
Peanut sauce:
11/2 cups creamy
peanut butter 375 mL
1/3 cup coconut milk 75 mL
1/4 cup chicken broth 60 mL
3 tbsp. soy sauce 45 mL
3 tbsp. lemon juice 45 mL
2 tbsp. apricot jam 25 mL
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. ginger, minced 2 mL
1/2 tsp. white pepper 2 mL
Chicken:
6 boneless, skinless
chicken breasts
1/2 cup flour 125 mL
1/2 tsp. ground ginger 2 mL
1/2 tsp. white pepper 2 mL
pinch of salt
2 tbsp. olive oil 25 mL
Apricot sauce:
1/2 cup apricot jam 125 mL
3 tbsp. chicken broth 45 mL
2 tbsp. lemon zest 25 mL
Peanut sauce:
Whisk together peanut butter, coconut milk, chicken stock, soy sauce, lemon juice, apricot jam, garlic, ginger and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Chicken:
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). In a large plastic bag, combine flour, ground ginger, pepper and salt. Lightly moisten chicken and shake in plastic bag until covered with the flour mixture. Shake off excess flour.
Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet and brown the chicken on all sides. Transfer to an uncovered 9×13 inch (22×33 cm/3.5 L) baking dish.
Apricot sauce:
Whisk together apricot jam, chicken stock and lemon zest. Spoon over chicken and bake for 25 minutes.
Warm the peanut sauce and serve on the side for dipping your chicken.
Serve with rice and veggies.
Source: www.myjifrecipes.ca.
Spring rolls
My daughter and son-in-law introduced me to the wonderful flavour of spring rolls. They can be served as an appetizer or as an easy meal that your kids will enjoy putting together. The fillings can be precooked. Some spring rolls are deep fried but these are served cold and suit spring or summer meals.
Vietnamese spring rolls
2 ounces rice vermicelli 55 g
8 rice paper wrappers
(8.5 inch diameter)
8 large cooked shrimp, peeled, deveined and cut in half and/or half a cooked, boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
2 leaves lettuce, chopped
1/4 cup sprouts 60 mL
1/4 cup shredded carrot 60 mL
3 inches (7 cm) of a long English cucumber, thinly sliced lengthwise
Herbs:
You could add any of these herbs:
11/3 tablespoons chopped fresh Thai basil 20 mL
3 tablespoons chopped
fresh mint leaves 45 mL
3 tbsp. chopped fresh 45 mL
cilantro
Fish dipping sauce
4 teaspoons fish sauce 20 mL
1/4 cup water 60 mL
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice 25 mL
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp. white sugar 25 mL
1/2 tsp. garlic chili sauce 2 mL
Peanut hoisin sauce
4 tbsp. hoisin sauce 60 mL
2 tbsp. crunchy 25 mL
peanut butter
Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Boil rice vermicelli three to five minutes, or until al dente, and drain.
Fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip one wrapper into the hot water for one second to soften. They can also be softened under hot running water. Don’t let them get too wet or they will tear. Only do one wrapper at a time.
Lay wrapper flat. In a row across the centre, place two shrimp halves, a handful of vermicelli and a spoonful of the lettuce, sprouts, carrots and cucumber. Add the basil, mint or cilantro to suit your taste. Leave two inches (five cm) uncovered on each side of the rice
paper.
Before folding up the roll, add a little sauce on top of the vegetables.
Fold uncovered sides inward, then tightly roll the wrapper, beginning at the end with the vegetables. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Fish dipping sauce:
In a small bowl, mix the fish sauce, water, lime juice, garlic, sugar and chili sauce.
Peanut hoisin sauce:
Over medium heat stir together the hoisin sauce and peanut butter. If too thick, add a half to one teaspoon (two to five mL) of water.
Betty Ann Deobald is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and one of four columnists comprising Team Resources. Send correspondence in care of this newspaper, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4 or contact them at team@producer.com.
