Now that I know how darn easy it is to make homemade fudge, I like experimenting and making my own at home when the mood strikes me. This recipe for Homemade Chocolate Peanut Fudge uses just 5 ingredients and can be made with ingredients you might already have in your home!
I used peanuts in the below recipe, but really any nut you enjoy can be substituted in (walnuts would be the more traditional choice).
Ingredients:
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into smaller pieces
Note: This post is sponsored by Nasoya. All opinions are mine alone.
I’ve been sharing fairly meat-heavy recipes recently, so it’s about time I shared a meatless (and vegan) option that is perfect for busy weeknights, so here’s a yummy recipe for Thai Basil Vegetable Dumplings with Spicy Peanut Sauce.
Nasoya, the nation’s leading brand of tofu, has two flavors of Vegan Dumplings (Tofu Vegetable and Thai Basil Vegetable) that can be ready to eat in as little as 10 minutes!
Source: Nasoya
The Tofu Vegetable Dumplings (filled with tofu, mushrooms, bok choy, carrots, ginger, green onions, and sesame oil) and the Thai Basil Dumplings (filled with tofu, red bell peppers, green peas, carrots, and basil) are USDA Certified Organic and also contain 6-7 grams of plant-protein per serving. Nasoya can be find at most retailers, including Acme, ShopRite, Giant, Weis, and Wegman’s. Check out Nasoya’s retail finder here to find your nearest location that sells Nasoya products.
This quick recipe for Thai Basil Vegetable Dumplings with Spicy Peanut Sauce uses the Thai Basil Vegetable Dumplings, but the Tofu Vegetable Dumplings can definitely be substituted.
African Peanut Stew (or Groundnut Stew) is a wonderfully hearty dish that originates in West Africa. Ingredients vary widely, but generally include a broth of ground peanuts and tomatoes with other vegetables served over rice. The dish can be made with chicken, but when omitted, this stew is a protein-rich vegan dish on its own.
My version below includes a little bit of heat from jalapenos and hot sauce, and some warmth from ground cumin, which is somewhat muted by the addition of creamy coconut milk.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 jalapeno, membranes and seeds removed, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes
1/2 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter (whatever you have on hand)
4 cups vegetable broth
1 (13.5 oz can) light coconut milk
1 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste (I used sriracha)
1 bunch collard greens or kale, chopped (I used 1/2 bag of frozen collard greens)
Note: I was sent a bottle of Chabé® Sambal Chili. All opinions are mine alone.
We are big fans of spicy foods in my house. So whenever I am given the opportunity to try a new hot sauce or paste, I always jump at the chance.
Since the moment this little bottle of Chabé® Sambal Chili entered my home, my husband has basically put it on everything. Sambal is a hot sauce or paste made with chili peppers found in Southeast Asian cooking. Chabé® Sambal Chili’s secret formula uses fresh chilies, garlic and a unique artisan technique that adds an explosion of heat and flavor to just about anything you add it to. It’s fairly thick and is incredibly flavorful, so a little bit goes a long way. What I really like about this sambal is that it has a balanced heat — you get the hit of spiciness up front, but it has a hint of sweetness toward the end.
The story of Chabé® Sambal Chili begins in the late 1900’s in the lush islands of Indonesia. The founder’s late grandfather developed one of the earliest recipes for sweet soy, a flavorful base ingredient that was once only available to the locals & chefs in Southeast Asia. Passionate about introducing more sauces that boast indigenous ingredients of Java and share a rich culture with the world, the founder launched a 50-year-old family recipe of Chabé® Sambal Chili. A flavor-rich, savory & sweet blend of fiery Cayenne and Bird’s Eye chili peppers, harvested from the tropical, mountain-side farms of Indonesia, combines with fresh garlic and tropical spices.
source: https://www.chabechili.com
This Spicy Cucumber Salad really shows off the flavors of Chabé® Sambal Chili, and would be awesome as a side at a barbecue. It’s also great as a snack!
Ingredients (makes 4 servings, multiply as needed):
8 mini seedless cucumbers
1/2 cup chopped scallions, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
To make, cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise and then chop crosswise into bite-sized pieces.
Add to a medium-sized mixing bowl along with the scallions, cilantro, and chopped peanuts. Toss to combine.
In a separate bowl, mix together the Sambal Chili, toasted sesame oil, white wine vinegar, salt, and garlic cloves.
Pour the mixture over the cucumber mixture, tossing to combine.
Cover and let stand for 30 minutes. Add to a serving bowl and top with more chopped scallions, cilantro and peanuts. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes on top, and serve.
I really love spicy cucumbers. The crunch of the cucumbers with the spicy dressing is just so satisfying!
The Sambal Chili is the start of this dish. It complements the freshness of the cucumbers nicely. The peanuts add another layer of crunch and flavor as well.
You can make this ahead of time, just keep in mind the longer it sits the more time the sauce has to soak into the cucumbers.
This Sambal Chili clearly has a permanent home in my fridge. You can pick up your own bottle on the Chabé® Sambal Chili website.
A lot of people are pretty wary of vegan and gluten free baking. It seems like it would be difficult, but it’s surprisingly easy! Vegan baking can also be rich and decadent, like these oh so fudgy Peanut Crunch Brownies.
This recipe for Peanut Crunch Brownies is adapted from Heather Saffer’s well-named cookbook Crazy Easy Vegan Desserts. Heather Saffer, founder and CEO of Dollop Gourmet, has been featured on Shark Tank and Cupcake Wars for her delicious vegan desserts that can be enjoyed by anyone. I was sent a review copy and have loved paging through the recipes, they really are crazy easy!
The cookbook begins with a review of some dairy free and gluten free alternatives that can be used in baking.
So let’s dig into this recipe for Peanut Crunch Brownies, because, well, it’s delicious!
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WhenImHungry #CollectiveBias
Almost every weekday afternoon, I hit a wall of sorts. With a commute that can near two hours one way, I have plenty of time to think about the delicious dinner I plan to prepare when I get home. But 90+ minutes of dreaming about my next meal means I get hungry. And I mean hungry. Add in a late train, or some other minor inconvenience, and we’ve entered the hangry stage, which no unsuspecting other commuter (or my poor fiance) is equipped to deal with. I’ve even made myself my own little hashtag for these very moments in life — #crabbyKait.
So to avoid #crabbyKait and all the joys that come with her, it’s nice to have a little something on hand to take the edge off without being so big as to ruin the dinner I am looking forward to a bit too much.
Cue SNICKERS®, and their new products that are perfect for those that need just a little something — SNICKERS® Almond, SNICKERS® Xtreme, and SNICKERS® Peanut Butter Squared. The combo of chocolate and caramel gives me the little sugar rush I need, plus the nuts help keep me full until I get home. Luckily there is a Walgreens on the way to the train station and I can stock up before heading home! All three bars can be found in the candy aisle (along with SNICKERS® original bars.)
SNICKERS® Almond is pretty straightforward– it’s everything in a normal SNICKERS® bar (nougat, caramel and milk chocolate), with almonds subbed in for the peanuts.
SNICKERS® Peanut Butter Squared is made with caramel, nougat, milk chocolate, roasted peanuts and peanut butter squished into two square-shaped nuggets. These are great when you only need a little bite to get you going again — each pack comes with two squares so you can have one piece and save the other (or share with an equally hangry friend).
SNICKERS® Xtreme is made of a single layer of crunchy roasted peanuts and smooth caramel with milk chocolate (there is no nougat in these, so there’s more crunchy goodness in this versus the original SNICKERS® bar.) The Xtreme bar comes in a “2 to Go” format that’s ideal for sharing or eating some now and saving the rest for later.
I’m sure I’m not alone with my Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde reaction when I’m hungry! You can check out some great SNICKERS® recipes and fun stories on the SNICKERS® social hub as well.
SNICKERS® also wants to see who you are when you’re hungry. Enter the SNICKERS® “Who are you when you’re hungry?” contest by uploading a personal photo or video from yourComputer, Facebook, Instagram or use the SNICKERS® Meme Generator to create something new! Voting begins at Noon on 5/11/15 and ends at 11:59:59AM ET on 7/15/15.
Every Easter, my fiance’s mom makes peanut butter nests for her sons to take home. They are made with chow mein noodles, mixed in a melted peanut butter sauce, shaped into little nests and topped with egg-shaped chocolate candies. And I absolutely love them! I look forward to eating more than my share of them each year, but this year I just couldn’t wait.
I had a craving for something chocolatey and peanut buttery so, I decided to make mine with semi-sweet chocolate as well as peanut butter. We were visiting my fiance’s brother and his wife last weekend, so I used them as an excuse to make the recipe!
They try to eat vegan as much as possible, so when I began assembling the ingredients for this recipe and realized how simple this recipe would be to make vegan, I did so! You can easily make these Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Nests non-vegan if you so choose.
Ingredients:
1 (12 oz) package chow mein noodles
1 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
12 oz vegan semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 cup creamy peanut butter
~12 oz Jordan almonds or dark chocolate covered almond “eggs” (or any other candy that is egg-shaped if not making vegan) — you’ll need roughly 85 egg shaped pieces
I have been meaning to make this recipe forever; seriously, years. I don’t know why it took me this long because it’s a pretty easy recipe, but for some reason I kept putting it off. And boy do I regret that. It’s so tasty! Honestly, what isn’t better with some peanut butter?
Chicken Satay is skewered chicken marinated in a peanut sauce that is typically eaten as an appetizer or street food. By adding a side of brown rice, this turns into an easy dinner!
This recipe actually has you ground your own peanuts with some other ingredients to make a sauce rather than starting with peanut butter. The result is really tasty!
Ingredients:
1/3 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon toasted cumin seeds
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (~2 limes)
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 garlic cloves
1 shallot, peeled
1/3 cup light coconut milk
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 serrano chile, stem removed
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
** This shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias (Collective Bias, Inc.) and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. **
Is this year moving too quickly for anyone else? I cannot believe it is almost the holiday season! It’s probably a safe assumption the rest of the year is going to fly by as well, so I wanted to get a head start on the holidays now. I’ll hold off on the shopping for a few more days, but it’s never too early to try out some recipes, right? I love giving desserts as small gifts during the holiday season, and bark is a fun and simple option! This bark recipe uses one of Planter’s seasonal nut mixes, which can be found in your local Walmart. Some stores have these great Planter’s holiday displays with all of their seasonal mixes, so it’s so easy to #GoNutsForNuts!
I used Planter’s Holiday Nut Crunch for this recipe, but you could also use one of the other seasonal options, such as Planter’s Cocoa Almonds or Winter Spiced Mix. For additional inspiration, check out the Cooking Up Good website. They have recipes, sweepstakes, loyalty programs, coupons and more! What’s not to love? If you’re looking for a new dinner idea or a chance to win some awesome prizes, be sure to check it out!
Planter’s also has a Blippar app to help you find more fun recipes to try using their products. Blippar is an app that has image recognition capabilities and gives you the opportunity to interact with Planter’s brand. You can swipe through Holiday Gift Tips, take a selfie with Mr. Peanut, and browse Planter’s holiday products!
I realized a few days ago that I rarely make steak. I tend to gravitate towards fish and shellfish recipes because they are usually so simple and quick to prepare on weekdays. But grilled steak is also a really great quick option, especially on hot days when you don’t want to use your stove. (Are you seeing a theme in my posts recently? My apartment is on the top floor and it gets quite warm up there in the summer months so my stove gets a break for the most part from June to August.)
The latest Cooking Light had a recipe for a simple grilled sirloin steak served with a really beautiful mango chile salad. The whole recipe from start to finish took less than 30 minutes, perfect for a weeknight!
Ingredients (serves 4):
1 pound sirloin steak, trimmed
1 teaspoon olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
The juice of one lime
1 medium ripe mango, peeled and diced (I used a Haden mango)
1 red jalapeno pepper, seeded and roughly chopped (you can use green if you can’t find red)
Happy Pi Day! As a Mathlete alum, Pi Day has always been a part of my nerdy math world. And what better way to celebrate than to make a pie?
I have some other pie recipes on here, but I have had a hankering for peanut butter lately, so I am celebrating this year with a Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie. This is a FoodNetwork.com recipe but I decided to make my own crust (you are more than welcome to just buy one – use a 9-inch pie crust).
Ingredients:
Pie Crust:
1 package oreos
4 tablespoons butter, melted
Hot Fudge Sauce:
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3.5 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped
Peanut Butter Pie:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided
I have no idea who decided that different foods should get taco-fied, but I am all for this movement. I love tacos, and Cooking Light comes up with the best taco recipes. These Kung Pao Chicken Tacos are everything I want in a meal: quick and easy to make, colorful, a hint of spice, and full of many ingredients I already had on hand.
Kung Pao chicken is a spicy stir-fry Chinese dish that includes peanuts, vegetables, chili peppers, and chicken. It is usually served over rice, but Cooking Light took some inspiration from Korean taco trucks and added the Kung Pao chicken to corn tortillas.
Ingredients:
6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce, divided (or coconut aminos to make gluten free)
