Peanut Butter Lover’s Day: Easy, Low-Cost Recipes

Today is National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day! What? You’ve never heard of National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day?! 

Don’t worry. Neither did we until we were doing some research for our next food blog. Now that we have both grown from this experience, National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day celebrates America’s favorite legume! Did you know Americans eat approximately 3 pounds of peanut butter per person per year? That’s about 700 million pounds per year! 

Today’s food blog has some easy and cost-effective recipes to make sweet and savory dishes with the one and only peanut butter! 

Thai Salad with Peanut Dressing 

A light and refreshing salad with a great peanut punch! Perfect for accompanying another dish or to eat by itself. 

For the Dressing 

1/4 cup peanut butter, we recommend creamy  

1 tablespoon rice vinegar, seasoned or unseasoned, chef’s choice 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

2 tablespoons lime juice 

1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free 

3 tablespoons honey  

2 garlic cloves, minced  

½ teaspoon of ground ginger 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 

2 tablespoons water, or more as needed 

For the Salad 

Romaine lettuce chopped 5 to 6 oz. 

2 cups of red or green cabbage, shredded 

1 cup shredded carrots-2 medium carrots 

3 green onions, chopped  

1 red bell pepper, chopped 

1/3 cup fresh cilantro  

3/4 cup chopped peanuts for topping  

Directions 

1.  Add all the peanut dressing ingredients to a bowl and whisk well to combine. Season and adjust to taste. Set aside. 

2. Chop the vegetables, then add them to a large bowl. 

3. Add half of the prepared dressing to the bowl of veggies and toss well. Taste the salad, and add more sauce as needed. You might not use it all. Add the chopped peanuts and enjoy 

4. Just salad for dinner? Add some grilled chicken or a protein of your choice, and enjoy!

Chicken Satay  

So easy and straightforward to make, your favorite Thai restaurant will start to wonder where their best customer went. 

Ingredients For the Chicken  

1-pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch strips 

2.5 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free 

2 tablespoons lime juice. If using fresh lime juice, use two limes 

1 tablespoon honey 

1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce or sweet chili sauce 

2 teaspoons ground ginger 

2 cloves garlic minced 

Grilling skewers metal or wood 

*If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 1 hour before grilling so they don’t burn 

Ingredients For the Peanut Sauce  

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth 

5 tablespoons creamy peanut butter 

1 tablespoon honey 

1.5 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free 

2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce or sweet chili sauce  

1 teaspoon ground ginger 

2 cloves garlic minced 

1 tablespoon of lime juice, fresh or from a bottle  

Directions 

1. Whisk together all the marinade ingredients, soy sauce, lime juice, honey, Sriracha/sweet chili sauce, ginger, and garlic in a large mixing bowl.  

2. Add the chicken, toss to coat, then cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 2 hours. Additionally, if you want to make this dish for the next day, it can marinate overnight. 

3. When you’re ready to start grilling, take your chicken out of the refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. While the chicken is coming up to temperature, it’s time to make the peanut sauce.  

4. Combine the chicken broth, peanut butter, honey, soy sauce, Sriracha/sweet chili sauce, ginger, and garlic in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then let cook, often stirring, until the sauce is smooth and has thickened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and set aside. 

5.  Preheat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan to medium-high. Then thread the chicken onto the skewers. 

6. Grill chicken until cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side. Foodsafety.gov states chicken must be cooked to the minimum internal temperature of 165F for safe consumption. 

7.  Sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro, then serve warm with peanut sauce and lime wedges. 

Peanut Butter Cookies-The easiest cookie you can make with only 5 ingredients 

You may remember these cookies from our Ice Cream Sandwich Day recipe blog.  

Ingredients  

1 egg, room temperature, beaten  

1 cup sugar  

1 cup of peanut butter, creamy  

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract   

Pinch of salt   

Directions   

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.   

2. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients.   

3. Roll the dough into balls; we recommend a tablespoon to help measure. Place on an ungreased baking sheet; flatten with a fork.  

4. Bake for 12-15 minutes.  

5. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.  

What have we learned? 

Peanut butter is great for our favorite sweet dishes and savory ones, and we’ve barely scratched the surface. So, as always, we encourage you to explore new recipes and see what else you can make with peanut butter, and remember to have fun doing it.  

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