Easy 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls

I like to have easy, delicious and healthy snacks available to grab whenever I am hungry but too busy to make a proper meal. These peanut butter balls perfectly fit the bill. Three ingredients; peanut butter, coconut, and dark chocolate, (a pinch of salt is optional) provide a guilt free and satisfying treat that keeps me full for hours.

These easy-breezy balls require no more work than mixing peanut butter and coconut together, forming the balls, chilling and dipping into melted chocolate chips. Allow to chill and they are ready to pop in your mouth. I often make a double batch and keep in the fridge for up to a week. Mid morning snack? Yes. A couple for lunch? Of course.  Afternoon treat? OK. Dessert? Absolutely. Enjoy!

Easy 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls
(makes 12)

2 cups freshly ground peanut butter, room temperature (I grind my peanut butter fresh using the machines at the market)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
10 oz best quality dark chocolate chips (I like the Chocolove dark chocolate chips brand)
1/2 tsp salt (optional and makes this a 4 ingredient dish!)

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Place peanut butter and coconut in a medium bowl and mix together. Taste and add salt if desired. Using an ice cream scoop, melon baller or 2 spoons, create 12 balls. Add balls to prepared baking sheet and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Melt chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler. Dip ball with a fork into melted chocolate. Let excess drip off and add back to baking sheet.  Refrigerate balls until firm (a minimum of 2 hours).
Serve. Will keep for one week covered and refrigerated.

Click Here For Printer Friendly Recipe

Other peanut butter recipes you may enjoy:

• my gran's peanut butter cookies
• pb&j cookies
• whole wheat pasta with spicy spinach & peanut butter pesto
• thai red curry & peanut vegetable stew

It is Peanut Butter week at Food Network's Comfort Food Feast roundup. Do you have a favorite peanut butter recipe to share? Please list (or link) in the comments below. And be sure to check out the other delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network. 

The Lemon Bowl: Peanut Butter Magic Shell
Feed Me Phoebe: Healthy Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars
Big Girls, Small Kitchen: Peanut Butter Crispy Bars
The Mom 100: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Easy 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls
The Wimpy Vegetarian: Winter Kale, Apple and Mint Salad with Thai Peanut Dressing
Healthy Eats: 5 Healthier Ways to Enjoy Peanut Butter for Dessert
FN Dish: 6 Foods That Belong with Peanut Butter

best,

diane

napa farmhouse 1885

red or green? 

California Girl in Taos

MoseyLove

napa farmhouse 1885

Promote Your Page Too

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos."  Please visit and let me know what you think.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup (in a Slow Cooker)

The middle of winter begins a weekly blog series called Comfort Food Feast at Food Network comprised of the dishes you want to eat when it is cold outside and the days are still short. The schedule is as follows:

JANUARY

7: Soup

14: Pasta

21: Potatoes

28: Macaroni and Cheese

FEBRUARY

4: Dips for the Big Game 

11: Chocolate for Valentine's Day

18: Cheesy 

25: Pizza

MARCH

3: Peanut butter

10: Bacon 

17: Cake 

For Soup Week, I am sharing an easy and delicious recipe chock-full of roasted red bell peppers. The surprise ingredient is a boiled sweet potato that adds sweetness and thickens the base without added cream. The jolt of vitamin c and vitamin A included in this soup is off the charts. I double or triple the batch and keep in the fridge to eat all week. Easy to heat and perfect for lunch or, paired with a big salad and whole grain or gluten free bread, makes a wonderful supper.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup
serves 4

4 red bell peppers
1/2 small sweet potato, unpeeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
extra virgin olive oil
1 white onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 sundried tomatoes packed in oil
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
sea salt
black pepper
1 lime, sliced
Italian parsley, chopped
4 radishes, chopped
1 tablespoon red onion, chopped

Preheat broiler. Cut bell peppers in half. Seed and devein. Place cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet and place under broiler. Broil until skin is completely blackened. Remove from oven and place peppers in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. Allow to cool. Peel cooled peppers and roughly chop. Set aside.

Place sweet potatoes in a medium bowl and cover with water. Microwave until soft, about 4 minutes. Drain.

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the onions, cooked sweet potatoes, cumin, sundried tomatoes and a pinch each salt and pepper to skillet and saute, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add to the bowl of a slow cooker, along with the reserved peppers and the stock.

Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Puree in batches in a blender or (my preferred method) with an immersion blender until it is a smooth as you like (I like a bit of texture). Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Serve garnished with lime slices, parlsey, radishes and red onion.

Other soup recipes to help get you through winter:

• roasted cauliflower soup with chile & garlic
• roasted apple & caramelized onion au gratin soup 
• napa valley minestrone
• cream of mushroom soup (for zola)
• spiced lentil & garbanzo bean soup
• farmer's market roasted beet soup
• roasted butternut squash & chipotle soup
• potato soup with red chile & cheddar cheese
• carrot soup
• slow-cooker new mexican vegetable chowder
• thai red curry & peanut vegetable stew

It is Soup week at Food Network's Comfort Food Feast roundup. Do you have a favorite soup recipe to share? Please list (or link) in the comments below. And be sure to check out the other delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network. 

The Lemon Bowl: Slow Cooker Posole Rojo
Creative Culinary: Split Pea Soup with Carrots and Ham
Homemade Delish: Italian Cioppino Soup
Taste with the Eyes: Wintery French Lentil Soup with Beef, Carrots, Sherry Vinegar
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Tomato Soup
Dishing with Divya: Roasted Cauliflower and Carrot Creamy Vegetable Soup
From My Corner of Saratoga: Pressure Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup (in a slow cooker)
Red or Green: New Mexican Green Chile, Turkey & Posole Soup
The Heritage Cook: Creamy Cheesy Potato Soup (Gluten-Free)
In Jennie's Kitchen: 14 Sensational Soups
Big Girls Small Kitchen: Winter Squash & Chickpea Ribollita
The Mediterranean Dish: Mediterranean Spicy Spinach Lentil Soup
The Mom 100: Spicy Thai Chicken and Rice Noodle Soup
Healthy Eats: 5 No-Brainers for Improving Chicken Soup
FN Dish: Soup's On! 5 Warming Must-Make Bowls

best,

diane

napa farmhouse 1885

red or green? 

California Girl in Taos

MoseyLove

napa farmhouse 1885

Promote Your Page Too

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos."  Please visit and let me know what you think.

Chilled Spiced Peach Soup

I had such a hard time naming this soup. Peach needs to be in the title, of course, but Chilled? Spiced? Boozey? Sweet? Dessert? Appetizer?  I narrowed it down, but it really should include all of the previous descriptions. Bottom line, just call the soup delicious.

My friend Elizabeth's peach tree was loaded this year. She gave me a huge bag last week, and I have been making peach dishes daily...as well as eating fresh peaches whenever I can. I am a fan of chilled fruit soup and thought a blend of peaches, spices, and bourbon would be a good combo. I loved the finished result and everyone who tasted gave the soup high marks. We agreed that the recipe would be perfect as an appetizer OR dessert. Without the bourbon, delicious for breakfast (booze in for brunch...yes?) Welcome to fall, everyone!

So, yes, fall is almost here. This means the weekly summer posts with Food Network have ended for the year but, never fear, Fall Fest has arrived. Each week a number of bloggers receive an assignment from Food Network. We all create a recipe using the same item or theme and then we share all the recipes with you. The 2015 lineup is as follows:

FN Dish Fall Fest 2015 Themes

September

17: Soup

24: Apples

October

1: Sweet potatoes

8: Pumpkin 

15: Cauliflower

22: Squash 

29: Halloween 

November

5: Brussels sprouts

12: Carrots

19: Favorite Thanksgiving side dish

December

3: Holiday appetizer 

10: Holiday cookies

17: Favorite holiday side dish

Chilled Spiced Peach Soup
(serves 4-6)

6 large peaches (3 peeled, all pitted and chopped)
1 cup coconut milk (from the dairy case, not canned)
2 cups water
2 tbsp honey (additional if needed)
1 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup bourbon, whiskey or scotch
2 tsp fresh mint leaves (chopped) plus whole leaves for garnish

Place peaches, coconut milk, water, 2 tbsp honey, allspice and sea salt in a medium sized saucepan. Heat to high-simmer (do not let boil), reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until peaches are very soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Carefully add peach mixture to a blender. Add the bourbon and chopped mint leaves. Blend until the soup is very smooth. Pour into a large bowl and refrigerate until very cold.

When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator, taste and adjust seasonings (honey, salt, allspice and/or bourbon if desired.) Serve in small bowls garnished with fresh mint leaves.

Click Here For Printer Friendly Recipe

It is Soup week at Food Network's Fall Fest roundup. Do you have a favorite soup recipe to share? Please list (or link) in the comments below. And be sure to check out the other delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network.

Napa Farmhouse 1885: Chilled Spiced Peach Soup
Red or Green? Spiced Vegetable Soup with Lentils & Garbanzo Beans
Feed Me Phoebe: Portuguese Kale Soup with Sausage and Cherry Tomatoes
The Mom 100: Avgolemono Soup
The Lemon Bowl: Red Lentil Turkish Soup
The Heritage Cook: Soul-Warming Tomato Soup with Peppers and Onions (Gluten-Free)
Healthy Eats: 6 Healthy Soups for the First Tailgate of the Season
Domesticate Me: Five Spice Sweet Potato Soup
Taste with the Eyes: Chicken Soup with Exotic Saffron Matzoh Balls
FN Dish: It's Almost Spoon Season: Top Classic Soups to Simmer Now

best,

diane

napa farmhouse 1885

red or green? 

California Girl in Taos

MoseyLove
please follow me on Facebook

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos."  Please visit and let me know what you think.

Watermelon Salsa

I admit it. I am a salsa addict. I can eat bowls of chips and salsa, and love to top chicken, fish, eggs, salad, you name it, with the classic tomato version. Or green tomatillo salsa for a change. But, guess what? Fresh watermelon makes an equally delicious salsa. You have to give it a try.

I add fresh corn to the salsa and there is something addicting (like how I am keeping the addict theme going?) about the sweet watermelon and corn combined with spicy chilies, green onion and a handful of herbs. When the weather is really hot, this cooling and refreshing salsa is even better than the tomato version. Give it a try with tortilla chips, of course, but also as a topping for your favorite grilled protein.

Don't you just love summer?

Watermelon Salsa
(makes 4 cups)

3 cups diced watermelon

2 green onions, chopped (white and green parts)
1/2 cucumber, seeded and diced

1-2 jalapeño, seeded and diced (depends on how spicy you like your salsa)

1/2 cup fresh corn 

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, chopped

Zest from 1 lime

Juice from 1 lime

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Chill until ready to serve. 

Delicious with tortilla chips or as a topping for chicken or fish.

Note, this is best eaten the day you make it, but, in a pinch, I have made the night before. Just drain before serving as the watermelon will give off a lot of juice. And don't add the herbs until right before you serve.

Click Here For Recipe Friendly Recipe

Summer means easy, breezy dishes made from fresh, just-picked produce and this week at Food Network's Summer Soiree we are celebrating Watermelon. Do you have a favorite watermelon recipe? Share in the comments section and/or link to your blog if you have one. And be sure to check out the delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network. 

Weelicious: Watermelon Cinnamon Granita
Homemade Delish: Refreshing Watermelon Salsa
Healthy Eats: Pretty in Pink: 6 Dishes Made Better with Watermelon
Creative Culinary: Margarita Watermelon
The Wimpy Vegetarian: Watermelon and Peach Salsa
Dishin & Dishes: Watermelon Jalapeno Agua Fresca
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Watermelon Salsa
Red or Green: Watermelon, Corn & Jalapeno Salad
The Mom 100: Watermelon Strawberry Smoothie
Taste with the Eyes: Unique Watermelon Salad - Pomegranate Syrup, Feta, Cucumber
FN Dish: 6 Party-Ready Ways to Take Watermelon Off the Rind

best,

diane

napa farmhouse 1885

red or green? 

California Girl in Taos

MoseyLove
please follow me on Facebook

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos."  Please visit and let me know what you think.