Lettuce Wraps with Hoisin-Peanut Sauce

Lettuce Wraps with Hoisin-Peanut Sauce (slightly adapted from My Recipes, Servings: 4, Total Time: )

Ingredients

Sauce:

·         1 tsp. canola oil

·         1 Tbsp. minced shallot

·         1/3 cup water

·         2 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter

·         4 tsp. hoisin sauce

·         1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper

·         1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

Filling:

·         1 (14-ounce) package extra-firm tofu, drained and crumbled

·         1 Tbsp. dark sesame oil

·         6 thinly sliced green onions (about 2/3 cup), divided (I used white parts only)

·         2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

·         3 Tbsp. lower-sodium soy sauce

·         1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

·         2 tsp. sugar

·         ½ tsp. Sriracha

·         1 cup matchstick-cut cucumbers

·         1 cup matchstick-cut carrots

·         2 cups hot cooked sticky rice

·         8 Bibb lettuce leaves

Directions

1.      To prepare filling, spread crumbled tofu in a single layer on several layers of paper towels; cover with additional paper towels. Let stand 20 minutes, pressing down occasionally.

2.      To prepare sauce, heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallot, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add 1/3 cup water and next 3 ingredients (through red pepper), and stir with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in lime juice.

3.      After tofu is relatively dry, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sesame oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add 1/3 cup green onions; sauté 1 minute. Add tofu; sauté for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cilantro, soy sauce, ginger, sugar, and Sriracha; sauté 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in cucumbers, carrots, and remaining green onions.

4.      Spoon some rice and tofu mixture into each lettuce wrap. Serve with sauce.

These tasted pretty darn good and my husband liked them.  Before starting the dish, I froze the tofu overnight and then let it thaw – to give it a more “meaty” texture.  I also used brown rice instead of sticky rice because our local grocery store didn’t have sticky rice.  I will say that that amount rice is WAY too much for this recipe.  I am going to have so much leftover!  I also used bottled instead of fresh lime juice for the sauce – I did not notice any issues with the taste.  One thing that I would recommend if you make this recipe – mix the soy sauce and Sriracha together before adding to the tofu and pour it in SLOWLY.  I wasn’t thinking too straight and just threw them in separately – obviously resulting in the tofu at the source of the throw absorbing way more soy sauce or Sriracha than the other parts of the dish. 

I liked the texture of this dish – the lettuce I used was still crispy, as were the carrots and cucumbers.  It was nice to have a soft and crunchy mixture in each bite.  In the original recipe, they advise to use ¼ cup rice and ½ cup tofu mix in each wrap – I think that would overload the wrap, so I just added what looked right so that I could have a nice little pocket.  I think this is a great way to mix veggies, starch, and protein, and, if you are careful with the sauce, it is low calorie.  The tofu mixture was a nice mix of sweet and salty.  The sauce is pretty sweet, and adds a nice zing to the wrap.  I could not taste the peanut butter at all – I think that hoisin sauce took over!  I definitely recommend trying this recipe – it is a flavor explosion in each bite (unless you get all lettuce!).

No Oven Peanut Butter Squares

No Oven Peanut Butter Squares (from Kraft Recipes, Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes, Servings: 48 squares)

Ingredients

·         ½ cup butter or margarine

·         2 cups powdered sugar

·         1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs

·         1 cup creamy Peanut Butter

·         3 pkg. (4 oz. each) Semi-Sweet Chocolate, broken into pieces

Directions

1.      Line 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan.

2.      Place chocolate pieces into a microwave-safe bowl.  Put in microwave for 30 seconds, then stir.  Repeat until chocolate is melted.

3.      Melt butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 45 sec. Add next 3 ingredients; mix well. Spread into prepared pan; cover with chocolate.

4.      Cut partially through dessert to mark 48 squares. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Use foil handles to remove dessert from pan; cut into squares.

Another dessert that I made for the Progressive Dinner in the neighborhood.  When I first tried it, I thought it was OK – maybe a little too dry with the graham crackers.  But after eating it a little bit more, I like it.  I think that I will add more peanut butter next time, to help with the dry texture.  I like the chocolate coating, but definitely do NOT skip the first part of step 4.  I did and the chocolate cracked into all types of weird angles.  Not pretty!  Next time, in addition to using more PB, I will make a thicker batch by using a 9x9 or 8x8 pan.  These went over really well with the neighbors – they were gone in less than 30 minutes, even with the large selection of desserts!  

Chik’n Lo Mein

Chik’n Lo Mein (adapted from Kraft Foods, Servings: 4-5, Total Time: 25 minutes)

Ingredients

·         ½ lb. spaghetti, uncooked

·         ¼ cup Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing

·         1 package Trader Joe’s Chickenless Chicken Strips

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen bell pepper and onion strips, thawed, drained

·         ½ cup  fat-free reduced-sodium vegetable broth

·         1 Tbsp. Creamy Peanut Butter

·         ¼ cup  lite soy sauce

Directions

1.)    Cook spaghetti in large saucepan as directed on package, omitting salt.

2.)    Meanwhile, heat dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken and garlic; stir-fry 3 min. Add vegetables, broth and peanut butter; stir-fry 3 to 4 min. or until everything is heated through.

3.)    Drain spaghetti; return to pan. Add chicken mixture and soy sauce; mix lightly.

Okay, so I made a major flub on this one that actually didn’t turn out too bad.  I thought I had vegetable broth, but alas, when I went to retrieve it from the pantry – no such luck.  My spaghetti was already cooking and my veggies were frying, so I made a split decision to use water.  When my husband and I ate the final dish, we found it slightly bland and I think that the broth would have helped in the flavor area; however, after refrigerating and reheating the leftovers – flavor!  No problems.  Next time I make this, though, I’ll use the vegetable broth.

I did not top the final dish with cilantro and peanuts (as the original recipe calls for) for two reasons: 1.) my husband doesn’t like peanuts and 2.) neither of us likes fresh cilantro.  I don’t think that took anything away from the final product, though.  The taste has a little bit of peanut butter, but mostly the toasted sesame dressing with a hint of garlic.  I think that the only thing I would change (besides actually using vegetable broth) is to use fresh vegetables.  The frozen and thawed veggies had no bite to them whatsoever and I feel that a little extra crunch would have amped up the meal.  You’ll probably be fine to use frozen veggies if you use the peanuts, though.

Enjoy!  And remember, letting the dish sit for a few minutes will definitely help the flavors meld!

Chocolate Cookie Bark

Chocolate Cookie Bark (from KraftRecipes, Time - 15 minutes + 1 hour to cool)

      

One of my favorite desserts other than ice cream! It’s really easy to make and I have received so many compliments on it.  Just a little bit of bark goes a long way in satisfying that sweet or chocolate craving.  My mouth starts to water just looking at this recipe.

Ingredients:

•  2 Tbsp. Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1 pkg. (6 squares) White Chocolate (I have also used white chocolate chips)
• 10 OREO Cookies, coarsely crushed, divided
• 1 pkg. (8 squares) Semi-Sweet Chocolate (I have also used dark chocolate chips)

Directions:

1.)    Melt white chocolate in a microwaveable bowl.  Microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring each time.

2.)    Add peanut butter to white chocolate; mix well. Stir half the crushed cookies into bowl of melted chocolate.

3.)    Melt semi-sweet chocolate in a microwaveable bowl.  Microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring each time.

4.)    Stir half the crushed cookies into bowl of melted chocolate.

5.)    Drop spoonfuls of the chocolate mixtures onto a waxed paper-covered baking sheet, alternating colors of chocolates. Swirl with knife.

6.)    Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Break into pieces. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

If you have any chocolate lovers in your family, I recommend making this for them.  They will thank you!

No Sugar Added Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream

No Sugar Added Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream (slightly adapted from AllRecipes, Servings: 8, Total Time: 3-4 hours)

Ingredients

·         ¼ cup Splenda

·         3 eggs

·         1 cup skim milk

·         ¾ cup peanut butter

·         ¾ cup fat free evaporated milk

·         ½ cup fat free half-and-half

·         2 tsp vanilla extract

·         1 cup chopped peanut butter cups

Directions

1.      In a medium bowl, beat the Splenda and eggs until thick, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

2.      Pour milk into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Gradually drizzle the hot milk into the eggs while whisking vigorously.

3.      Pour the whole mixture into the saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not boil.

4.      Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter. Allow to cool slightly, then stir in the evaporated milk, half-and-half, and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

5.      Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Fold in peanut butter cups when mixture is still soft, then transfer to a container and freeze until solid.

I think that this ice cream is pretty tasty.  It does get thoroughly frozen though (so much so that I cannot get it out of the container).  I think next time I will use regular half and half or evaporated milk to help combat this.  The ice cream has a very strong peanut butter taste, but it is nice to get a random bite of the peanut butter cups.  It would also work well with other chocolate candies.  A nice, sweet treat that won’t wreak your diet!

Peanut Butter Bars

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/peanut-butter-bars/detail.aspx  (Total Time: 30 minutes)

Even though I made these for my family for Christmas, I wanted to keep all of them for my husband and me!  We both liked these tasty treats a lot.  Soft and chewy with a good mixture of peanut butter and chocolate.  Yum!

Ingredients

·         1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

·         1/2 cup sugar

·         1/2 cup packed brown sugar

·         1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

·         1 egg, beaten

·         1 tsp. vanilla extract

·         1 cup all-purpose flour

·         1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

·         1 tsp. baking soda

·         1/4 tsp. salt

·         1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Icing

·         1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

·         2 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter

·         2 Tbsp. milk

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.    In a mixing bowl, cream butter, sugars and peanut butter. Add egg and vanilla; mix well.

3.    Combine flour, oats, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture.

4.    Spread into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.

5.    Cool 10 minutes. Combine icing ingredients; drizzle over bars.