Becky: Iron Chef Blogger Challenge Peanut Butter

First of all, I'd like to apologize that I don't have a pic of this recipe. I totally spazzed and forgot to take one :( However, both me and my husband can confirm that this recipe was amazing and definitely worth trying :)

Indonesian Peanut Chicken

3 to 3 1/2 lb. cut-up broiler-fryer chicken
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup chili sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 cut water
1/4 cup chopped salted peanuts
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet or 4-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook chicken in oil about 15 minutes, turning occasionally, until brown on all sides. Cover and cook over low heat about 20 minutes or until juice is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut. Remove chicken from skillet with tongs.
3. Drain all but 1 tablespoon dripping from skillet; heat over medium heat. Cook onion in drippings, stirring occasionally, until tender; reduce heat. Stir in peanut butter, chili sauce and red pepper. Gradually stir in water, stirring constantly, until peanut butter is melted.
4. Add chicken. Spoon sauce over chicken. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered about 5 minutes, spooning sauce frequently over chicken, until sauce is slightly thickened. Serve sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with peanuts and bell pepper.

I got this recipe from Betty Crocker's Big Red Cookbook, and I have to say that it turned out to be a delicious dinner. I've noticed that with Indonesian cooking, the flavors are usually both spicy and sweet at the same time, and the same held true for this recipe. The peanut butter made the chicken sweet, but the chili sauce and red pepper gave it a certain kick. I did screw up a little while preparing this recipe though. When the time came to add the ground red pepper, I actually added the chopped red bell pepper. I didn't realize this until after I had sprinkled the peanuts into the skillet. I added the ground red pepper and stirred it in the best I could, and I really don't think the outcome of the recipe made much of a difference. The red peppers cooked in the sauce tasted just as well as if they had just been added for garnish. I also cooked a cup of white rice on the back-burner and served the chicken on top of the rice, another suggestion that was made in this cookbook. Anyways, one way I could tell that my husband really enjoyed this recipe was the fact that he didn't add tabasco sauce to the chicken, and he ALWAYS adds tabasco sauce because chicken is never spicy enough for him. But this time he said that the peanut sauce was so good that the Tabasco sauce was unnecessary. I only wish my daughter could've tried this but babies can't have peanut butter until they're 2 years old because by that time they're less likely to develop an allergy to it. I think she was pretty happy with the mac n' cheese she got though :) Anyways, definite thumbs up! :)

Carrie: Iron Chef Blogger Challenge Peanut Butter

I don't really like peanut butter. I'm crazy, I know, but we've had this discussion before. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? Not good. So I definitely was a little like oh...peanut butter...when I saw the secret ingredient. I thought about baking, but then decided to see what else I could find. And boy, am I glad I chose not to bake because I haven't loved a recipe this much since ICBC Bacon. I found a recipe on Love and Olive Oil, one of my favorite cooking blog sites. Their Tofu Noodle Toss with Taylor's Kick-Butt Peanut Sauce was so easy to throw together and completely delicious. Just as good the next day for lunch too. Make it. Now. I promise you won't regret it. There are no measurements for how many noodles or veggies, so it's kind of like an estimation game. But that also means it's pretty hard to screw it up. It's a recipe with a fair amount of wiggle room, I think, and that's a good thing.

Tofu Noodle Toss with Taylor's Kick-Butt Peanut Sauce
noodles (I used whole wheat spaghetti)
firm tofu, drained and cubed
veggies (I used eggplant, asparagus, green beans, red bell pepper, red onions, and green onions)
olive oil
kale, rinsed and stems removed

For Peanut Sauce (for 4-5 servings)
2/3 cup peanut butter
6 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons garlic salt (which I didn't have so I minced three cloves of garlic and added a pinch of salt)
6 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
Sriracha chili sauce, to taste
water, if necessary to thin sauce

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Add a tablespoon or two of olive oil to a hot pan and brown tofu cubes. Place browned cubes on a plate lined with a paper towel.
Add another tablespoon of oil and cook veggies until tender. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add a couple more tablespoons of olive oil, add kale, and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until greens are tender. Remove to a serving dish.
To make peanut sauce, combine all the ingredients except for water to a microwave safe bowl and mix well. Microwave for 40 seconds and stir until smooth. Add a little water if sauce looks too thick. Move tofu and veggies back into the pan, add noodles, then peanut sauce and toss until well coated. Serve atop bed of kale.

Sarah: Iron Chef Blogger Challenge #2 Coconut Milk

Thai Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce and Cilantro rice

2 lbs white meat chicken, cut into 1 inch strips

Bamboo satay sticks

2 cloves garlic

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp butter

3 tbsp light cream

1/2 c. coconut milk

1. Mix last 7 ingredients together. Add chicken. Marinate for at least 2 hours.

2. Skewer chicken. Broil until cooked, basting from time to time.

Peanut Sauce

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp peanut butter

1 1/2 c. coconut milk

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tbsp curry powder

Dash chili hot sauce

1. Mix all ingredients together.

Cilantro Rice

1 cup long-grain white rice

coarse salt

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 garlic clove

1. Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to boil. Add rice and 1/4 tsp of salt. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook until all water is absorbed (about 16-18 minutes).

2. In a blender combine all other ingredients and 2 tablespoons of water. Blend until smooth. Stir into cooked rice.

---REVIEW---

I made this for Sam and I since Brandon is out of town for the next few days. We both really liked all of it. The three flavors were really great together. I don't know that the peanut sauce is the most necessary thing in the world, but it was alright (a little too creamy for my liking).

Sam really loved the rice, and I did too even though I am not the biggest fan of cilantro.

The picture is really washed out. The dish was actually really greatly colored. I forgot my camera, and Sam couldn't find hers, so I took the picture with my phone.

Overall- Good. Good good good.

Peanut Butter Cookies

While this might be blasphemy to some, I don't actually care for peanut butter. I don't dislike it so much that I refuse to eat it, but it's also not a staple for me. In fact, I pretty much never buy peanut butter. But I've got a friend who loves peanut butter cookies, and as a thank you for a favor, I made him some. And oh my, they were so delicious. I'm not a peanut butter convert, but I think I could definitely enjoy a good peanut butter cookie every once in awhile now.

Recipe from Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook, 14th edition:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

Beat butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and baking powder. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl. Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour. If necessary, cover and chill dough until easy to handle. (I don't find it necessary to chill the dough).

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten by making crisscross marks with the tines of a fork. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes (I bake for about 7 1/2 minutes) or until bottoms are light brown. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.