Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cupcakes with Butter Toffee Peanuts

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cupcakes with Butter Toffee Peanuts
by Sarah Kwan of The Garden of Earthly Delights

Chocolate Cupcakes:
3/4 cup cake flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
12 mini peanut butter cups (plus more for decorating cupcakes)

Line a 12-piece muffin tin with cupcake liners.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Sift together cake flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together egg, vegetable oil, and milk.

Add dry ingredients to egg mixture, whisking lightly until combined.

Divide the cupcake batter evenly into the muffin tin.

Add a mini peanut butter cup into the center of each cupcake.

Bake for 18 minutes, then let cool thoroughly before icing.

Peanut Butter Icing:
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup water
1 cup butter, slightly softened
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

Whip the egg whites in a large bowl on low speed until foamy, with even small bubbles.

Add the cream of tartar and continue whipping, until the egg whites form glossy peaks.

In a pot, heat sugar, salt, and water over medium-high heat, until it reaches 238°F.

Pour the sugar syrup into the egg whites in a slow steady stream while mixing on high. Continue to mix until the bowl is cool to the touch (approximately 5 minutes).

Add the butter in small chunks, beating continuously.

Add the peanut butter and continue whipping. If the mixture turns lumpy, not to worry - keep beating until it pulls together again and becomes smooth.

To assemble:
1/2 cup butter toffee peanuts
12 mini peanut butter cups

Spoon the icing into a pastry bag fitted with a large tip and frost fully cooled cupcakes.

Lightly chop 1/2 cup of butter toffee peanuts in a food processor, and sprinkle over each cupcake..

Top each cupcake with a halved mini peanut butter cup.

Butter Toffee Peanut Crusted Pork Tenderloin

Butter Toffee Peanuts and pork? Um, yes please! I had my choice of several varieties of Truly Good Foods premium snacks, but landed on their Butter Toffee Peanuts as a crust for pork tenderloin. I thought the sweet/savory mix might work well, and it did. These medallions of pork are crunchy around the edges, tender and juicy in the middle, and have a surprise hint of sweet butter toffee and peanuts. This recipe is delicious and, despite my twelve year old son’s protestations that 8 ingredients in a recipe is too complicated, they really are super easy to make. Trust me!

Butter Toffee Peanut Crusted Pork Tenderloin
by Maryjo

1 pork tenderloin
1 cup Truly Good Foods Butter Toffee Peanuts
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour (dredge)
2 eggs, beaten (egg wash)
2 to 4 Tablespoons olive oil

Pork tenderloin usually comes packaged with two tenderloins. I used only one of the tenderloins for this recipe. Trim the tenderloin of excess fat and remove the silver skin, if it has not already been removed by the butcher. I also cut the tenderloin in half cross ways so that it would fit into my skillet.

Set your oven rack to the upper middle position and preheat to 375°F. In a food processor, pulse the Truly Good Foods Butter Toffee Peanuts, panko bread crumbs, salt, and pepper until coarsely ground.

Dry off the tenderloin halves to remove excess moisture. Dredge each tenderloin half in the all-purpose flour, shaking off any excess. Quickly dip each tenderloin half into the egg wash, and then roll each in the ground Butter Toffee Peanut and Panko mixture. 

Working with one tenderloin half at a time, heat 2 Tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over high heat until shimmering. Reduce the heat to medium-high and brown the first tenderloin half on all sides until dark golden brown and transfer to a baking sheet. If needed, add another Tablespoon or two of oil to the skillet and brown the second tenderloin half. Place it next to (but not touching) the first tenderloin and bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Check for doneness with an instant read meat thermometer. 145°F for medium rare, 160°F for medium. Let the tenderloin rest for 10 minutes, uncovered. Slice into medallions and serve. This dish goes well with mashed potatoes, steamed rice, or even with a fresh green salad.

Nut-Crusted Buffalo Tofu (Vegan)

Why should wings have all the fun? Take your favorite buffalo flavors vegan with this quick and easy recipe, seen here with maple carrots and red beans and rice.

Nut-Crusted Buffalo Tofu (Vegan)
by Kate Jonuska

1 (16-ounce) package extra-firm tofu

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Salt and pepper

1 cup Truly Good Foods Buffalo Nuts

1/2 cup vegan egg substitute (such as Ener-G Egg Replacement or Neat Egg)
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil for frying
Hot sauce (optional)
Special equipment: food processor

Drain the tofu. Place the brick between two paper-towel-lined plates to press out excess moisture for at least 15 minutes and up to an hour.

Slice the tofu in half lengthwise, then slice each rectangle into bite-sized squares.

Season the flour with salt and pepper. Finely chop the nuts in food processor. Set up an assembly line with 1) flour, 2) egg mixture and 3) chopped nuts combined with panko breadcrumbs.

Toss each piece of tofu in the seasoned flour, then dredge it in the egg. Shake off excess egg, then drop the tofu into the nut mixture. Press into all six sides. Set aside.

Place a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil. Fry off the tofu in batches, making sure to brown all six sides. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate.

Serve sprinkled with hot sauce. Seen here with red beans and rice, and maple carrots.

Sweet Potato Praline Wontons

These baked wontons are perfect for the winter holidays, and could work as an appetizer (served plain, they are only slightly sweet) or pile on the powdered sugar (or cinnamon sugar, or maybe serve with a marshmallow crème dipping sauce?) and serve as a dessert. If sweet potatoes are a fixture in your holiday meals, as they are for many, reserve 1 1/2 cups of mashed, seasoned sweet potatoes to use in place of cooking and seasoning the raw potatoes, and you can throw these together in a snap! Best of all, they’re baked, so you can prepare a whole tray, pop them in the oven and they’ll all be done at once!

Sweet Potato Praline Wontons
by Jennifer Scantlin

1 medium-large sweet potato (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 1” pieces
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup Truly Good Foods Praline Pecans, chopped fine
About 30 wonton wrappers (found in refrigerator section)
Vegetable oil
Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Place sweet potato in a medium saucepan. Cover with cold water and place over high heat. When water starts to boil, lower heat to medium low and cook potato until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes and return to pan. Add butter and salt and mash potatoes until no lumps remain. Stir in praline pecans and set mixture aside.

To make wontons: Place one wonton wrapper on a dry workspace. Moisten the edges of the wrapper. Place 2 teaspoons of filling in the middle of wrapper. Fold wrapper into a triangle, matching two opposite corners of the square first, then seal edges, keeping filling away from edges. Place finished wonton on a cutting board or piece of parchment paper and continue with remaining wrappers and filling.


Before baking, brush or spray both sides of wontons with vegetable oil. Heat oven to 400°F. Bake for 7 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking time, if desired (this will give more even browning to both sides, but is not necessary!)

Dust with powdered sugar, if desired, and serve.

Pumpkin Patch Green Chile Chicken

We have a local Tex-Mex restaurant that has an annual green chile festival when the green chiles from Hatch, NM are in season. Each year the chefs get so creative with new green chile drinks and dishes. One dish that I had many years ago was so tasty and had a catchy name, the Charlie Brown Chicken. The chicken was pan fried and topped with their famous green chile sauce and a dusting of pumpkin seeds. The combination is amazing. When I received the Blackened Pumpkin Seeds from Truly Good Foods, I immediately wanted to reproduce the Charlie Brown Chicken at home and my hunt for this green chile sauce commenced. I'm so excited to share this recipe with you.

Pumpkin Patch Green Chile Chicken
by Tonda
Adapted from Chuy's Green Chile Sauce on KPLCtv.com

Roux:
6 Tablespoons butter
8 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. While whisking, slowly add the flour. When the flour is completely mixed in and the roux is smooth, reduce the heat to low. Cook for approximately 20 minutes, while stirring frequently. The roux will be the color of peanut butter when it is done. Remove the pan from heat and keep warm.

Chuy's Green Chile Sauce:
4 10-ounce cans roasted whole green chiles

1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 cup sweet onion, diced
4 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 Tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I backed down the heat to 1/2 teaspoon for my family)
Roux (from above)
1 14.5-ounce can petite diced tomatoes, no salt added

Drain the cans of whole green chiles and chop them finely in a food processor. Set aside. Melt the butter in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté until they are transparent and light brown. Add the chicken stock and all of the spices. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat to bring the sauce to a light simmer. Once it has reached the light simmer stage, slowly whisk in the roux. Simmer for 15 minutes to thicken the roux, stirring frequently. Drain the diced tomatoes and add them with the green chiles to the sauce. Continue to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

Baked Chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 Tablespoon olive oil
Shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Season the chicken with your favorite seasoning. Heat the olive oil over high heat in an ovenproof sauce pan. Sear the chicken on both sides, approximately 2 minutes per side. Finish baking the chicken for 25 minutes in the oven. Top the chicken with shredded Monterrey jack cheese and cook just until melted.

 Plate the chicken breast with a big spoonful (or two) of green chile sauce and a dusting of Truly Good Foods Blackened Pumpkin Seeds. Enjoy!

Blueberry Bran Loaf with Praline Pecans

Truly Good Foods sent a wonderful box of products to work with! I don't usually put nuts in muffins or quick breads - but these Praline Pecans were so well-seasoned that they made a perfect crunchy topping for a crunchy-topped loaf bursting with fresh blueberries.

Blueberry Bran Loaf with Praline Pecans
by Maurita Plouff, Good Stuff Recipes
Makes 3 small loaves

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups bran cereal (like All-Bran)
3 1/4 cups flour
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 1/2 cups Praline Pecans
Butter to grease the pans

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 3 small (3 x 5 x 2-inch) loaf pans.

Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, coconut oil, salt, baking soda, vanilla extract, and sugar. Stir in the bran cereal and flour and mix well to combine thoroughly. The batter should be fairly stiff at this point. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Fill each loaf pan nearly to the top. Scatter Praline Pecans over the tops, pressing them in slightly. Bake 35-45 minutes, until the tops are firm and slightly browned, and a toothpick carefully inserted and removed shows no streaks of uncooked batter.

Let cool in the pans on a rack for 20 minutes, then carefully turn the loaves out and cool completely.