DIP!
DOES LIFE GET BETTER THAN DIP?
Arguable.
Ok so one of the best combos has to be peanut butter with apples. Its a great snack when you have a little bit of a sweet craving. But peanut butter alone is extremely high in calories and sometimes its nice to make a dip that can make a little bit go a long way.
About a year ago I became totally addicted to the Pinterest-famous peanut butter dip with Greek yogurt. Its so delicious, but I always had to try to limit the amount I ate because of my sensitivity to lactose. (Its so good, so I will post the recipe for people who love Greek yogurt!)
Anyway, lately I've been trying to take the whole "No Milk" thing a little more seriously and that means trying to find creative substitutes for my favorite recipes. When I craved apples and peanut butter dip earlier this week, I started experimenting with other options to replace the dairy in my dip recipe.
Banana Peanut Butter Dip
- 1/2 ripe banana
- 1 tsp honey
- 2 Tbl peanut butter
- 1/4 c. old fashioned oats (uncooked)
Optional additions:
- Splash of almond or soy milk
- Dash of cinnamon
- Handful of raisins, dried cranberries, or crushed nuts (almonds, pecans, or walnuts)
Dippers: Apple, Banana, Crackers, Fingers, etc.
Directions:
1. Slice banana into small pieces and then mash in a small bowl
2. Add honey, peanut butter, and oats and mix vigorously with fork
3. Eventually the banana will break down and the dip will become smooth
(You can skip the arm workout and use the blender... but that's just so messy!)
4. Add a splash of nut milk if it is still too dry
5. If you want to add nuts or dried fruit for a bit of a crunch, add them now.
6. Give it a final mix and then transfer to serving dish
7. Slice your apple and remaining banana
*dip your banana in banana dip? is that, like, banana cannibalism? Maybe... but its delicious.
8. I put a dash of cinnamon on top for an extra punch. DO IT! Its an unlikely, yet amazing combination. The cinnamon and oats both counteract the blatant 'banana' flavor and keep it true to its PB roots.
Enjoy!
A little "diet insight" for those who are interested......
Let's be real, when you eat an apple with peanut butter alone, odds are you aren't stopping at just 1 tablespoon. Most of the time one apple will be sufficiently dipped in about 4 Tablespoons of plain peanut butter, unless you have serious self restraint.
4 Tbl Peanut Butter =360 Calories, of pure fat and protein.
So when mixing a small amount of PB with some other healthy ingredients, you are getting additional nutrients for a well balanced snack.
This recipe totals about 330 Calories, but the kicker is that it makes MORE than enough for one apple (*calorie count without added nuts or berries). So if you eat a little more than half of this recipe as one serving, you're looking at about 250 calories per serving. Less total calories, AND added fiber and potassium.
Happy Snacking!!
- H
