A healthy living blog from Marshfield Clinic Health System

Peanut butter: Taste the goodness

Peanut Turkey Satay

If you’re a peanut butter lover, you’ll want to get ready to indulge and read on.

If you’re a peanut butter lover, get yourself a spoon and a jar of peanut butter, indulge and read on.

Peanut butter is a yummy paste made from ground dry-roasted peanuts that is consumed worldwide. It’s got a long and noble history, the earliest reference going back to the South American Indians, Incans and Aztecs, according to Chrisanne Urban, Marshfield Clinic Health System dietitian. But, three inventors created machinery to process peanuts about the same time and it was then introduced at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904. It became really popular during World War I and II because it was portable and could be used to make sandwiches for soldiers.

The popularity continues to grow, Urban said, especially since it’s relatively inexpensive, filling, tasty and a source of protein. For example, 1 tablespoon of unsalted smooth-style peanut butter has 94 calories; 8.1 g fat; 3.1 g carbs; 1 g fiber; and 4 g protein.

Other fun facts Urban shared:

  • It takes 540 peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter.
  • It must be 90% peanuts to be called peanut butter.
  • Two U.S. presidents were peanut farmers, Jimmy Carter and Thomas Jefferson.
  • One acre of peanuts makes 35,000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
  • Every year, Americans eat enough to coat the floor of the Grand Canyon.
  • The average peanut farm is 100 acres.
  • You can find a jar of it in 75% of American homes.
  • About 1.5% of Americans have a peanut allergy.
  • Americans spend over $800 million on peanut butter yearly.
  • A nickname for the peanut is goober.

When it comes to eating it, Urban stands firm. All things in moderation, she said, since peanut butter is high in fat so too much is not healthy. It has health benefits, though. Its monounsaturated fat is a healthier type of fat and it contains magnesium, phosphorous, B-6, zinc and niacin.

Urban has one cautionary note, though. “When you look at brands, what should you look for? It’s better to get natural peanut butter you store in the refrigerator because preservatives are not added. Be careful of commercial brands because they could add extra oil and sugars to sweeten them.”

Peanut butter often is an ingredient in baked goods, but Urban suggests this tasty way to enjoy peanut butter in a main dish that’s fairly low in fat and calories.

Peanut Turkey Satay

Prep/total time: 15 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 4-1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
  • 4-1/2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 pound turkey breast tenderloins (could substitute chicken breast or pork tenderloins)

Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk the first 5 ingredients; set aside 1 tablespoon for basting. Cut turkey into long strips (about 1-1/2 inches wide by 1/4 inch thick). Add to soy sauce mixture in bowl; toss to coat.

Weave turkey strips accordion-style onto 2 metal or soaked wooden skewers. Broil 3-4 inches from the heat until turkey is no longer pink, 2-3 minutes on each side, basting with reserved soy sauce mixture.

Nutrition information

1 skewer, 202 calories, 6 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 56 mg cholesterol, 552 mg sodium, 9 g carbohydrate (7 g sugars, 1 g fiber), 29 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 1/2 starch.

Source: © 2019 RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC/Taste of Home

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