Peanut Butter and Plum Jelly Ice Dream.And NutButter Giveaway.

Nut Butters(Almond and Peanut),are staple spreads on my everyday sandwiches that I absolutely cannot do without.Recently a representative of MaraNatha Nut Butters contacted me to try and talk about their Peanut Butter.I was shipped 2 free sample Jars of All-natural MaraNatha Peanut Butter.Creamy and smooth,the nutty butter did not last long,my family is big on nut butters,one of the Jars was licked clean in few days,mostly on lunch box sandwiches.With the second Jar,I had to try something different,something that celebrates the warmth of the season.Racheal's Dairy-free Ice Dream with PB seemed fitting,time was right to revive the frozen treats in her cookbook,some of them I totally enjoyed last season.


Recipe : Peanut Butter and Plum Jelly, adapted from Rachel Albert-Matesz's Ice Dream Cookbook.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup Peanut Butter(I use MaraNatha,can also use Almond Butter or Cashew Butter )
1/2 cup low-sugar fruit Jelly(I use homemade Plum jelly)
1 3/4 cups (one 14 ounce can) unsweetened lite coconut milk (preservative-free).
1 medium-size ripe banana, peeled
1 tablespoon virgin-pressed coconut oil or palm shortening
2 tablespoon honey or agave syrup or maple syrup
1 tablespoon Dark brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon finely ground, unrefined sea salt

Method
1-Gently melt coconut or palm oil in a small saucepan over low heat.Add the sliced banana and brown sugar.Let caramelize for 2-3 minutes.Turn off heat and cool.


2-Transfer the banana mixture into a blender, vita-mix or food processor. Add the honey, peanut butter,sea salt, and coconut milk. Blend until smooth.

3-Pour into one or more wide-mouthed jars. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before churning.Meanwhile ,stir 1-2 teaspoon of water in the fruit jelly to loosen it up.cover and refrigerate.

4-Scrape the chilled custard into the canister of your ice cream maker. Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

5-When done,spoon 1/4 of the forzen dessert in to freezer-safe container.Spoon a layer of diluted fruit jelly evenly over the Ice Dream.Top with another layer of Ice Dream.Continue layering Ice Dream and fruit jelly in the same way,ending with a layer of Ice Dream.Cover and freeze for atleast 3 hours,until firm ,before serving.

6-Soften solidly frozen dessert by placing it in the refrigerator for 30 to 45 minutes or on the counter for 15 to 30 minutes before serving.

Without the Ice cream machine method
If you don't have an Ice cream machine.After the step 4,transfer the Ice Dream mixture in to a freezer proof container,preferably air tight.Freeze for about an hour,then get the container out and whisk the mixture using a spatula or hand held whisk or electric whisk to break the ice crystals forming over the edges of the container.Freeze and whisk again after 30-40 minutes ,repeat this for about 6 hours until the mixture is almost frozen.Serve immediately or freeze.Proceed from Step 5 above.


PB and J Ice Dream Sandwiched between Rye Bread Crisps

MaraNatha Nut Butter Give Away !

MaraNatha makes a variety of protein rich, organic and natural nut and seed butters, including classic peanut butter, almond, cashew and macadamia butters and sesame tahini.Find them all here.

To get everyone excited to try healthy nut butters in 2010, MaraNatha has launched a new promotion to help save on their products. Simply visit http://offers.maranathafoods.com/ and sign up for the e-newsletter and you’ll receive a coupon for $1.00 off any MaraNatha product. By spreading the word to three or more friends, you can receive a $2.00 off coupon.
Thoroughly satisfied with the quality and taste of the sample peanut butter,I bought more of MaraNatha Nut butter from a retail store near me(Costco).You could also order them Online.

As for the exciting giveaway,MaraNatha is also offering Coupons for 4 free MaraNatha Nut Butter jars, $20 value!,to one lucky winner .To be eligible for this delicious offer,just leave a comment below about "Your favorite spread on Sandwiches or Crackers".Winner will be selected on April 10th.Good luck!

Mini Gingerbread House

Daring Bakers's Project Gingerbread House ,was it a success?Pretty much.I did aim for a bigger gingerbread house that collapsed to my utter disappointment;reason - the glue wasn't strong enough.Raw Eggs Royal Icing wasn't an option for me.Looking for suitable alternatives I choose the Simple syrup(melted sugar). Though the hot melted sugar couldn't hold the big house but worked perfectly with the mini counterparts.Simple syrup is really hot,take utmost care when using it.If that sounds risky then go for the much safer and decadent,melted dark chocolate glue.Be sure to freeze ,as you glue each pieces together,it has to work with the mini houses(I haven't tried with bigger size though).
And don't be afraid to mix in some whole grains in your edible abodes and remember only fresh ginger,not canned or powdered.The fresh ginger combined with the cinnamon in the dough,gives the best aroma on baking.And lastly use Organic where ever possible.

The December 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to you by Anna of Very Small Anna and Y of Lemonpi. They chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ everywhere to bake and assemble a gingerbread house from scratch. They chose recipes from Good Housekeeping and from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book as the challenge recipes.



Recipe Wholegrain Mini gingerbread house
Makes 5-6 Mini gingerbread houses(Approx. dimensions 2x2 inches).
Ingredients
2 cups Whole grain pastry flour
1/2 cup Organic Butter,softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 teaspoon ginger, freshly grated
1 teaspoon spice mix(I used ground cinnamon and cloves)
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup warm water.

Method
Prepare the dough
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until blended. Add the ginger and spice mix.In another bigger bowl,mix dough,spice mix and soda.Add the warm water to the dough and make a stiff dough. If necessary add more water, a tablespoon at a time. Chill for an hour.

Cut out the Templates
You don't have to be an architect to design a template.Draw the intended size of the pieces on a poster board or card board.Requires 2 front pieces,2 for the sides and 2 for the roof.Cut out along the patterns ,don't forget to include the door and windows.

Cut and Bake
Roll the dough and cut along the cut out patterns .Place on a large baking sheet.Any scraps saved, re roll at the end.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the cookie dough feels firm. After baking, again place the pattern on top of the gingerbread and trim the shapes, cutting the edges with a straight-edged knife. Leave to cool on the baking sheet.

Eggless Gluing options
1.Hot melted sugar(WARNING : Not safe for working with kids):Melt about 2 tablespoon of brown or white sugar in a small saucepan until dark and bubbly(single thread stage) about 5-6 minutes on medium heat.Very carefully dip and coat the sides of the baked pieces of the house and attach together,use a can for support until the sugar sets.Begin with front and side piece,followed by the back and the other side.Then finally the roof.Work promptly before the sugar solidifies,you can the sugar warm on low heat until finished using it.
For the pretzel decor,coat the sides of pretzels with the melted sugar and place over the roof or sides.


2.Melted Dark chocolate : Chop and melt about 3 ounces of dark chocolate,in a microwave or double broiler.Stir to melt completely.Brush the melted chocolate over the edges of the baked pieces of the house.Glue 2 pieces of the base first, transfer in freezer to chill for 3-4 minutes until chocolate sets.Next join the other 2 pieces of the base,chill and finally join the pieces of roof over the base and chill again until set.
For Sprinkling any chopped nuts ,brush some melted chocolate and sprinkle the nuts over the roof.For the chocolate bricks,glue the chopped pieces of the dark chocolate with melted chocolate along the sides of the house.
Any remaining chopped nuts and melted chocolate can be mixed together ,transfer on parchment paper and chill for 2-3 minutes,place around the house.


Peek in other creative edible abodes at daring bakers blog roll.

Peanut Bites,guilt free snacks for diabetes.

Peanuts are apparently the nutritionist recommended food for a diabetic diet plan.Unfortunately diabetes is becoming common among pregnant women. Evidently half of my girlfriends in US had diabetes while pregnant.They had to see a nutritionist to get proper diet plan for a healthy pregnancy.I almost had a close call with Gestational diabetes(GD) when I was carelessly eating away Junk ,as soon as my appetite bounced back after the bad nauseous phase of first trimester.During the third trimester blood test,my ob\gyn asked me to redo my blood test cause she doubts my sugar levels are sort of on the high end. I was bit intimidated about going on a sugar free\low sugar diet,after all I was mostly craving for dessert,cakes and cookies.Lucky for me for the test came back negative,but the doc still asked to be careful about my eating habits and I seriously was counting my sugar calories.
So before your ob\gyn flashes a red flag for all your guilty cravings,here is a word of advice to all the expectant moms, eat healthy and have more variety in your food ,don't indulge in sweet goodies with excess sugar, which are no good whether or not diabetic.

Peanut butter is the most delicious American way of eating the peanuts.Spread on toast is the common breakfast for expectant moms with GD.Peanut butter Jelly sandwich is a favorite among kiddos.The Hyderabadi Bagare Baigan(Mona's recipe) or Mirchi Ka Salan are made with generous serving of peanuts.Zesty peanut bites could be another delectable way to consume peanuts,don't you think??

To make home made peanut butter.
Roast about 1 cup of peanuts on medium flame for about 15 minutes ,turn occasionally. slightly cool and remove the skin by rubbing the peanuts together in your hands and blow away the skins under the sink.Process the skinned peanuts with a tablespoon of vegetable oil until smooth and store in air tight container in a refrigerator for 2 months.

Ingredients
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoon brown sugar or sugar substitute Agave Nectar
1 Organic egg
2 tablespoon melted and cooled butter
2 tablespoon light Olive oil
1 teaspoon grated Orange zest
few drops of water,if needed.

Makes about 20 bites.
Method
Use a large cookie sheet and line with parchment paper or lightly grease with butter.
Preheat Oven to 375F.
Sift flour and baking powder in to a large bowl.Add all the remaining ingredients and mix to a smooth dough using hands.Knead for a minute and wrap and allow to rest in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Spread some all-purpose flour on work surface and roll the dough using a rolling pin. Using a round small cookie-cutter or any 2inch bottle cap , cut and lay on the cookie sheet.Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly brown.Cool on rack and store in air tight container.

Peanuts and Diabetes
Peanuts have shown to lower the risk of diabetes .Peanuts contain mainly good unsaturated fat and are low in saturated fat, characteristics which are associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes(most common type of diabetes). Many peanut butters contain a high percentage of peanuts, have a very small amount of salt and sugar for taste.
Nuts also contain fiber and magnesium which decrease insulin resistance and have been inversely associated with risk of type 2 diabetes. Peanuts have more plant protein than any other nut. They are also rich in vitamin E, folate, potassium, zinc, phytosterols and antioxidants, which are thought to be important to health.

Peanut Bites and the following low sugar recipes are my entry for Sangeeth's Eat Healthy:Fight Diabetes
Sesame Pistachio Cookies,Pumpkin Chocolate Biscotti,Energy Bites,Vegetable Crepes,Green Mung Khichdi,Sesame Buns,Beet Hummus,Wheat Meat Porridge(Harees)

In case you missed ,I also had posted about the sugar substitutes with glycemic index along with another set of diabetic recipes.