3 Ways or More to Make Tasty Peanut Butter Smoothies

So this article may be entitled 3 ways to make it, but smoothies are nothing if not a playground for the blender drink junkie. You can take these recipes and twist them a thousand ways to suit your tastes. Here are (at least) three of my favorite thick and yummy peanut butter smoothies.
I use an industrial strength stainless steel Osterizer with two speeds, slow and fast, and I've liquified many an ice cube and banana in this one for years. I have another mulit-speed glass blender also. It's very comfortable next to the quick chop in the back of the cabinet.


A note on ingredients and mixing:

Preferred milk: I found that vanilla soy milk adds a silky texture to this smoothie, and it's easy on the stomach. I suggest you try it. Prior to this I used lowfat, nonfat, even whole milk. You choose, what's your favorite?
When adding ice to the liquid, it should be like a thick slush or crowded pool. Too little and it will make a thin smoothie, too much and it won't blend properly.

These recipes offer up 2-4 servings, for more servings add a little bit of each ingredient at the same time. Don't just add milk, or any other single ingredient as it ruins the taste.

The Classic:

-Preferred milk:
1-2 cups of milk choice.
-Crushed ice
-3-6 fat tablespoons of peanut butter
-2-3 ripe bananas (add sugar or extra honey for greener bananas.)
-Dash orange or apple juice (dash means splash here.)
-1 tspn. cinnamon if desired.
-1 tspn. vanilla extract if desired.

You can keep the classic like this, or for an extra layer of flavor, add some honey, about 2-3 tablespoons, or more if the bananas aren't ripe.
If the mixture is too thick, add liquid a little at a time while blending, too viscous, add another banana, more ice, or peanut butter, in that order.
Blend until very smooth.

The works:

Use The Classic recipe, and add:

-Vanilla yogurt: 1-2 cups.
-Skinned granny smith apples: about 1/2 of a small apple or 2-3 slices of a large one.
-Shot of good apple juice: Real juice here, about 2 ounces maximum.
-Honey: 2-3 tblspns
-Cinnamon and nutmeg: about 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/4 tspn. nutmeg.

-The PB Banana Sundae:

The Classic +

-Chocolate or vanilla ice cream: 2-3 scoops. (add ice after blending. The ice cream may be all you need.)

Nestle quik: 2-3 large tblspns.
or
Hershey's canned chocolate syrup: ~2 ounces.

Whip cream: 1 cup in blender, & add a bit on top with a cherry or strawberry to garnish.

The possibilities with these peanut butter smoothies are endless. Add whey or another protein powder for extra protein or other 'superchargers' as desired. Blend it up as smooth as you can and keep it cold. Enjoy!

Easy to Make Delicious Fried Rice

I love fried rice, and when I found out how easy it can be to make it I was ecstatic. In fact, it spurred on the learning of several Chinese dishes (or at least interpretations of them.) That year I practically begged my wife for the Kylie Kwong cook book and a Calphalon non-stick wok. At least it was non-stick when I started.


The basic recipe is delicious, and feel free to use your choice of meat or even tofu product if you're a vegetarian, or simply want less fat. I like to start with bacon, but I've substituted chicken, polska kielbasa sausage, Filipino sausage, and even hot dogs before, and still found the basic flavor was there. Add vegetables that you love, especially mushrooms or leafy greens, for a more nutritious and hearty meal.

• 1/3 cup peanut oil (out of peanut oil? use Canola or vegetable oil, better than skipping the dish.)
• 4 large free-range eggs, beaten (really, they don't have to be free-range. Trust me, regular eggs work fine.)
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil, extra (only if you need it during the cooking process.)
• 11/2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger (buy this in small quantities unless you cook with ginger quite a bit. Please, please go with fresh ginger whenever possible. The difference is very obvious when you taste it.)
• 4 diced cloves of garlic.
• 1 medium sized onion; brown or white works fine. Dice as finely as possible, unless you like big crunchy chunks of onion.
• Bacon or Chinese sausage or preferred substitute. A 1/2 cup is a good place to start, and adjust to taste. For me this translates to 2-4 slices of bacon.
• 1 teaspoon white or light brown sugar (or more, but don't overdo it.)
• 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine.
• 5 cups cooked white rice.(easier to make fried rice with when it's a day or two old.)
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce (experiment with this, you may prefer more or less.)
• 1 cup thinly sliced scallions
• 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil (this stuff is powerful, a little goes a long way.)
• 
  
• 1/4 cup light soy sauce (or about 2-3 tablespoons dark soy sauce.)
• 1/2 large red chilli, diagonally sliced-optional. (I prefer Sriracha sauce to taste after it's cooked.)

Now if all you have is rice, eggs, bacon (or sub.) garlic, onions, soy sauce and oyster sauce, you can still make this dish work. Preferably there is some fresh ginger on hand as well, but let's talk about putting it together with all the proper ingredients handy.

One other note, you can use a regular pan, but I find that making this dish in a real wok is both easier and more fun. I have two, one is the Calphalon non-stick pan, and the other is the awesome, if beastly heavy, cast-iron wok from Lodge. Although I love getting my workout in while I'm cooking (see http://www.mosladder.com, "Flip the Pancake, Squat, Repeat...) I have to admit the Calphalon is more practical. It's light, easy to clean, and has a handle. So there.

Start by getting the pan hot and sauteeing your meat choice. When this is cooked to taste, remove it from the pan, and add the onions and ginger. If you have too much grease from the bacon, drain as much as you desire. If there is not enough, add a bit of the peanut oil or canola oil to get the onions and ginger cooking.
Saute' the onions and ginger for a minute or so, add the garlic and sugar and saute' for until just golden, and the onions start to caramelize. Doing this right sets the tone for the whole dish.

Remove these from the pan and into the same spot as the meat, then take make sure there is still enough oil, and pour in the lightly scrambled eggs. Add a dash of salt and pepper.

Once these are cooked, the easiest way to proceed is to dump everything in and start mixing. I'm partial to this method myself. I will take the rice, and break it up with my hands to separate the grains as it goes into the pan, add the cooking wine, the soy sauce, the sesame oil and oyster sauce, and any leftover peanut oil. I mix very well and keep the pan hot. Now add a touch more pepper.

At this point don't let the mixture sit for too long on the heat. Keep mixing until everything is thoroughly incorporated, and then portion into serving bowls or whatever container you are using.
When adding additional vegetables to the fried rice, when you add them in will be determined by how long they take to cook and how you like your vegetables. Mushrooms don't take but a couple of minutes, but will cook better and soak up more flavor if added before the rice. On the other hand, if you like bell peppers cooked well, they'd better go in with the onions and ginger from the beginning.

So there you have it. Take your extra scallions and red chile if you like and garnish each dish with them. Serve it with some light beer or fruity iced tea and enjoy.