When I did start to eat PB&J, it was more as a practical, portable sustenance to bring on a hike or to a bike race vs something I craved or felt excited about eating. Without any deliberation or experimentation, I identified as Smooth right out of the gate. It was unconscious, like I was just born that way. I did get nut butter curious by mixing it up with almond butter or the occasional jar of sun butter, but always smooth, never crunchy.
As time went on, I began to truly enjoy peanut butter. In my oatmeal. On apples. Smeared on toast. But I struggled with finding just the right peanut butter that wasn't too runny with oil floating on the top or too dry from putting it in the fridge to deal with the oil. I tried different brands and settled on a local brand, Teddie, as the closest I could get to a consistency I could live with. Of course I was trying to keep it natural and low sugar, so something like Jif was not in the running.
Last winter as my peanut butter evolution continued, I learned an important peanut butter pro tip. Tip the jar upside down for a few days before you open it. This allows the oil to blend into the butter, rather than separate and the result is a luxuriously creamy can't get enough of the sublime perfection right out of the jar with a spoon. Another result is the 5+ pounds I put on last winter as my peanut butter intake increased by about 700%. I can't point my finger fully in the direction of the tipped jar peanut butter, but it was no doubt a major factor.
Then, just last week at book club, the host made a soup recipe by Mark Bittman that contained crunchy peanut butter. It was such a nice eating experience, I went out as soon as I could to buy my first jar of crunchy peanut butter and made the stew myself. Since I had the crunchy on hand, I tried it in my oatmeal the next morning. Lovely! I recently also switched from rolled oats to steel cut oats. Having the bite of the steel cut oats along with the grit of the ground nuts and the crunch of the local diced Macouns transitioned my morning dining experience from a just trying to get some nutrition baby food like bowl of mush to a vessel of flavor and texture that elevates the start of my day.
Maybe the lesson here is you can teach an older dog new tricks, or we are fortunate to have so many options available to explore, or it's good to not get too set in our ways. All I know is I'm now BiButter and I'll need to have at least 2 variations tipped upside down in my cabinet at all times.
Here's the link to the Mark Bittman recipe. I made it in under an hour which makes it a good winter weeknight choice. I was dubious about the large cuts of sweet potato and onion, but it all works out ok! Below is my version where I omit the garlic. Sengalese Peanut Soup
Sengalese Peanut Soup
3/4 cup shelled roasted peanuts, chopped or crushed
2 tablespoons oil (peanut, avocado or garlic infused olive)
1 medium onion halved and sliced thin
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 pinch cayenne
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
6 cups of water with 2 No Chicken bouillon cubes
2 medium sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and and cut into 1/4 inch slices
8-10 plum tomatoes, fresh or canned, cored diced and seeds removed
1 small bunch tuscan kale or collard greens, chopped
1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
1. Heat oil in medium sized sauce pan or dutch oven and then sauté onions and ginger for 3-5 minutes.
2. Add 1/2 cup of the roasted peanuts, sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté for a few minutes.
3. Add broth and sweet potatoes, bring to a boil. Then turn down heat and simmer for 10 minutes until sweet potatoes are just softening.
4. Add tomatoes, greens, and peanut butter. Blend and cover for 10 more minutes.
5. Serve and garnish with remaining roasted peanuts.
