Kale and Carrot Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing

CSA veggies, meet Thai. I have no apologies anymore.

Vegan and gluten-free. Dear lord this seems so unlike me...

The original recipe calls for creamy peanut butter. I used crunchy because it is what I had on hand. Personally, I enjoy the extra bit of texture. And the almond milk is unnecessary. The other ingredients pack so much flavor, you need only add a touch of water to thin it to your desired consistency. Adjust the heat level to your personal taste by using more or less Sriracha.

adapted from Running to the Kitchen

serves 4

The Ingredients:
3 cups carrot, shredded or julienned
2 cups thinly sliced kale
3 Tbsps peanut butter
1 -1 1/2 tsp sriracha
½ teaspoon sesame oil
½ tsp olive oil
1 tsp lime juice
1 Tbsp maple syrup
½ tsp freshly grated ginger
2-3 Tbsp water
salt to taste
1- 2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

The Process:
In a large bowl, combine the carrots and kale.

In a small bowl whisk together the peanut butter, sriracha, sesame oil, olive oil, lime juice, maple syrup and ginger. Add water 1 Tbsp at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Season with salt to taste.

Drizzle the peanut butter dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

I always seem to have too many bananas on hand. So when I came across this recipe I had not choice but to give it a try. Not only did the muffins call for a whopping 5, FIVE! bananas, it also incorporated peanut butter. As a child I loved spreading peanut butter onto bananas. Why I never thought to bake with this combination until now is beyond me.

Of course, now I want to try this recipe out with a healthy dose of bacon. Viva Las Vegas!

adapted from American Heritage Cooking

yields 15 muffins

The Ingredients:
For the Muffins
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
½ cup Greek yogurt
½ cup chunky peanut butter
5 overripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ tps baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon

For the Streusel
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp peanut butter

The Process:
Pre-heat the oven to 350°.

Line 15 standard muffin tins with liners.

For the Streusel:
In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Add the peanut butter and mix with a fork until coarse crumbs form. Refrigerate until ready to use.






for the Muffins:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar with the butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the yogurt, bananas peanut butter and vanilla. Mix on medium until well combined.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
 
Using a spatula fold the dry ingredients into the wet, , scraping the bottom with each fold, until just combined. Do not to over mix!

Fill each muffin tin to the upper edge of the liner. Crumble a generous portion of the streusel topping onto each muffin, pressing down slightly.

Bake in preheated oven for 15-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean

Allow the muffins to cool 5 minutes in pans before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.