7 Ways with Peanut Butter

When it comes to lunch, peanut butter may be the all-American ingredient. It’s consumed in 94 percent of American households, according to the National Peanut Board, and the average American kid gobbles 1,500 PB&J sandwiches by the time she graduates from

1 Add peanut butter to smoothies for creamy texture, extra protein and nutty flavor. 2 Replace bread with sliced apple for PB&J “Applewiches” We adapted this recipe from 100 Days of Real Food by Lisa Leake (William Morrow). She recommends using a crisp, firm variety of apple, such as Gala or Honeycrisp, which doesn’t brown as quickly as other types.

PB&J Applewiches Slice off top 1 inch of 1 large apple; discard. Cut 4 to 6 (¼-inch) slices horizontally. Lay slices on work surface. Use a small cookie cutter to remove core from each slice. Spread 1 Tbsp peanut butter (or other nut or seed butter) over half of apple slices. Top center of each with a dollop of jam (about a ½ tsp). Top with remaining apple slices. Makes 2-3 applewiches. 3 Try peanut butter and edamame in place of chickpeas in a thick dip that’s great with whole-wheat pita bread and cut veggies. (Go to Parade.com/globalhummus to try our recipe for Asian Edamame “Hummus.”) 4 Have breakfast for lunch—toast a wholegrain waffle, top with peanut butter and jelly. 5 Spin peanut butter into a creamy sauce that you can drizzle on salad, use as a dipper with vegetables or toss with noodles.

Peanut Butter Sauce In a medium bowl, whisk together ½ cup creamy peanut butter, ½ cup water, juice of 1 lime, salt and Sriracha hot sauce to taste. Sauce will keep up to five days in the refrigerator. Yields 1 cup. 6 Make PB&J “sushi”: Cut the crust off slices of wholewheat bread, gently flatten with a rolling pin, and spread with peanut butter and jelly. Roll ‘em and cut ‘em into little sushi rolls.

7 Whip up a peanut butter and banana quesadilla: Spread peanut butter over half a whole-wheat tortilla. Top with strawberry jelly and thinly sliced

banana, fold over and cook on a griddle until golden brown.