Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies (sugar, oil, eggs, and flour-free!)

The Skinny:
Servings: 18 • Size: 1 Cookie • Calories: 99.3 • Fat: 5.1 g • Carb: 12.3 g • Fiber: 1.6 g • Protein: 2.9 g • Sugar: 4.4 g • Sodium: 91.1 mg

Ingredients:
2 Ripe Bananas, Mashed
1/3 C. Reduced Fat Peanut Butter
2/3 C. Unsweetened Applesauce
1 Tsp. Vanilla
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon
Dash of Ground Cloves
Dash of Ground Nutmeg
1 1/2 C. Quick or Old Fashioned Oats
1/4 C. Nuts (I used dry unsalted peanuts.)
1/4 C. Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 C. Reduced Fat Unsweetened Shredded Coconut (Optional)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Mix together the bananas, peanut butter, applesauce, vanilla, and spices.  Add in the oats, nuts, chocolate chips, and coconut; stir until well combined.

Spoon a rounded 2 tbsp. of the cookie mixture onto the lined baking sheet, leaving an inch or two between each and flatten slightly. I placed a few more chocolate chips on top of each cookie. Bake for 20-30 minutes and allow to cool slightly.

For a healthy cookie, these were actually pretty tasty! And they actually turned out just like the picture, which is always an added bonus! :)

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup of creamy or crunchy peanut butter
1 egg
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla
optional add ins: 1 cup chocolate chips, mini-mini pb cups, pb chips (choose one or combo)

Simple Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix four simple ingredients thoroughly by hand or with electric mixer.
Stir in optional add in(s).
Drop by tablespoonful onto cookie sheet, press down a bit with the back of a fork or spoon.
Bake for 9-11 minutes, depending on your desired chewy/crispy-ness.

Note:  I usually double this recipe because it makes ~18 cookies...which only lasts 24 hours in my house.  (Ahem - Greg ;)

J-LEGS (Jessi's Limited Edition Granola Squares) Gluten Free and Vegan

Ingredients:

• 1 c peanut or almond butter (or any nut butter you prefer)
• 2/3 c honey (you could certainly sub the honey and maple syrup for agave, rice syrup, etc.)
• 1/2 c pure maple syrup
• 2t vanilla
• 2 c puffed rice cereal
• 1 c rolled oats, ground (I used my blender for this)
• 1 c shredded coconut
• 5 c nuts, seeds and dried berries/fruit (I used about 3 1/2 c nuts/seeds, and 1 1/2 c dried fruit)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
2. In a bowl, combine wet ingredients.  In a seperate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Combine together and spread evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake 20 minutes.  Allow to cool completely before cutting.

My husband gave these bars their name and called them "limited edition" because I really have no idea what exactly I threw in to make these, only how much total. Since I won't be able to replicate these exact bars... the name was born.  I seriously emptied out a ton of random little bags that have just a bit of nuts and seeds left in them along with pecans, sliced almonds, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, raisins... some mixed nuts that were in a little baggy in my cupboard.  I really have no clue.  The good news is that you could add anything you like and it will be delicious. Thanks to Laurie for the recipe inspiration!

Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies with Sea Salt - No flour, no sugar, vegan

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 2 cans (15 oz ea.) chickpeas/garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup all natural peanut butter
• 2/3 cup pure maple syrup 
• 4 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips plus 1/4 c 
• sea salt, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 and spray 9x13 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a food processor or good blender (my Ninja rocked this without a problem), add all ingredients except chocolate chips and process until batter is smooth. Add in 2/3 cup of chocolate chips. Have you seen the darker semi-sweet chocolate chips from Costco? Yum!
3. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan then sprinkle and lightly press 1/4 c chocolate chips on top. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean and edges are starting to brown. 
4. Cool for AT LEAST 20 minutes. Sprinkle with sea salt then cut into squares. Makes 32 blondies which ring in at roughly 120 calories each.

You could actually modify this recipe a bunch of different ways using different nut butters or different sweeteners like agave or honey.  I just wrote the recipe exactly how I made it.  I took some to my hubby at work to share with his team as well as to my mother in law.  I had 3 emails/texts by the end of the day asking if I was going to post the recipe to the blog.  So, I guess that means it's blog-worthy! Ha!  I will admit, I was *pleasantly* surprised by the sweet flavor and texture.  Definitely a good substitute for a fully-loaded treat.  Repeater recipe for sure! Photo credit (first photo) and recipe inspiration from ambitiouskitchen.com

Soft and Chewy Banana Nut Butter Cookies: No sugar, gluten free, EASY!

Ingredients:

• 6 T all natural peanut butter
• 2 T all natural almond butter
• 1 small ripe banana, mashed
• 1 T honey
• 1/4 t cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease a cookie sheet.
2. Mix all ingredients well.
3. Drop onto cookie sheet and press down with hand or fork.
4. Bake for 12-14 minutes.
5. Let cool and enjoy!

The sweetness in these cookies comes from the banana and honey – and that’s it. No added sugars whatsoever... so if you are looking for a sugar-high kind of cookie, I’m sorry but these aren’t them  Instead they are rich, moist, and buttery, with a soft slight sweetness, and melt in your mouth delicious!

I made them twice and came up with a different consistencies due to the irregularity of banana size, but I didn't notice any difference in awesome taste!

Every day people should eat a portioned amount of healthy fats – and the sources can be olive oil, avocado, nut butters, or nuts and seeds. These are my “nut butter” dose of healthy fat as each cookie has just under a tablespoon amount of nut butter! I used a mixture of natural almond and natural peanut butter – I’m sure they would work out fine with cashew butter, or even sunflower butter.. or a combination of the lot!

Toddler approved!

Fresh Rolls

Ingredients:

• Rice paper (found in the dry section for oriental foods) - 2 per roll
• Rice sticks/noodles (I used the thinnest available)
• Lettuce
• Carrots (julienned or shredded)
• Veggies of your choice (cucumber, sprouts, peppers, etc.)
• Thai basil (cilantro would be good too)
• Shrimp or thin slices of pork or chicken (I bought pre-cooked, deveined, no tails shrimp)

      Peanut Sauce:

• 1/2 c hoisin sauce (oriental section of grocery store)
• 1/2 c chunky peanut butter
• 1 T ground ginger (you can buy this pre-ground which is easy!)
• 1 t garlic chili paste (oriental section of grocery store)
• 1/3 c hot water

Directions:

I am not even going to attempt to type the fresh roll sequence out.  But I will say that it's easy... just a little time intensive.  Better to just watch this quick youtube video and see it yourself.  Start paying attention at about 2 minutes in to see how to assemble and handle the rice paper.  I cooked the rice sticks (thin noodles), drained them and added a bit to the inside of my fresh rolls along with the veggies and shrimp.

One tip I will give you is that you need to wrap each roll twice (the video shows this) and also be sure when serving them, NOT to stack them.  Single layer only.  The rice paper is sticky and can tear when you are trying to separate them.

For the peanut sauce, just mix all ingredients together with a whisk.  I also served them with store bought sweet chili sauce too.

Very fresh and delicious!

Easy Thai Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

8 pieces of naan or pita flat bread

2 medium chicken breasts, cooked (season with salt and pepper) or use a rotisserie chicken

2 c shredded mozzerella

1 medium bell pepper, sliced thin (red, orange or yellow)

1/4-1/2 small red onion, sliced thin

fresh cilantro

Peanut sauce:

1/2 c hoisin sauce (found in the asian cooking section of the grocery store)

1/2 c peanut butter

1-2 T fresh ginger, grated

1 T Sriracha hot sauce (adjust to your liking or use another spice/hot sauce you have)

1/3 c hot water

Directions:

1) Prepare the peanut sauce. Combine the hoisin sauce, peanut butter, and 1/2 tsp of sriracha sauce in a bowl. Peel the ginger and grate it straight into the bowl. Add about 1/3 cup of hot water and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

2) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Chop the chicken into small pieces and transfer to a bowl. Thinly slice the red onion and red bell pepper.


3) Spread about 2 Tbsp of the peanut sauce over each piece of naan or pita bread. Top with about 1/4 cup of shredded cheese, a handful of the chicken, some red bell pepper, and red onion.


4) Place the pizzas on a perforated pizza pan, cookie sheet or directly on the oven rack and cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly (about 10-15 minutes depending on which method you use). When the pizzas come out of the oven, top with fresh cilantro leaves and enjoy!




This recipe is slightly modified from one found on Budget Bytes.

Braised Peanut Chicken

• 2 medium onions, cut into thin wedges
• 1 1/2 cups sliced carrot (3 medium)
• 1 small red sweet pepper, cut into bite-size strips
• 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lime peel
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 2 - 3 teaspoons red curry paste 
• 4 garlic, minced
• 1-2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 cup frozen peas
• Hot cooked rice
• Chopped peanuts (optional)
• Snipped fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions1. In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker, place onions, carrot, and sweet pepper. Top with chicken. In a medium bowl, whisk together broth, peanut butter, lime peel, lime juice, soy sauce, tapioca, ginger, curry paste, garlic, and red pepper flakes until smooth. Pour over all in cooker.
2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. Stir in coconut milk and peas. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
3. Serve chicken mixture over hot cooked rice. If desired, sprinkle each serving with chopped peanuts and cilantro. Makes 6 servings.

I found this recipe on Pinterest and it was a big hit in my house!

Homemade Granola Bars

 Ingredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1/2 cup sliced or chopped almonds
• 1/2 cup peanuts coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup cashew pieces/halves
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup flaxseed
• 1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup honey
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 oz. dried fruit (I used cranberries, cherries, and blueberries)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Spray an 9 by 13-inch baking dish with PAM/olive oil mister and line it with parchment paper.
3. Toss the oatmeal, nuts, seeds, wheat germ, flaxseed, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. 
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
5. Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. 
6. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. 
7. Add the dried fruit and stir well.
8. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before turning out onto a cutting board and cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature. 

 ***Shortcut and/or for a "softer" bar: You can use wax paper instead of parchment paper, pour the mixture  into the prepared pan and just let cool for 2-3 hours before turning out onto a cutting board and cutting into squares, eliminating the baking step altogether.

I wrapped the bars individually with saran wrap to be able to take easily in lunches, etc.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

 Recipe from Smittenkitchen.com

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter at room temperature (smooth is what I used)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips
For sprinkling: 1 tablespoon sugar, regular or superfine

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.
In your mixing bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter and chocolate chips. Place sprinkling sugar — the remaining tablespoon — on a plate. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a crisss-cross pattern (I used the back of a small offset spatula to keep it smooth on top), but do not overly flatten cookies. Bake for 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not.
Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1-2 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely.