My FluffNutter “Victory”

One of Alex’s greatest loves is peanut butter. He could eat it for almost every meal and in almost everything. In complete opposites attract fashion; I really can’t stand the stuff. It is like green eggs and ham.

I do not like it on bread

I do not like it spoon fed.

I do not like it in dessert.

I do not like it there either pervert.

No matter how hard I tried, I could not bring myself to put it in a dish. This inability always made me very sad for my husband (then fiancé) and this sadness played out at last year’s Christmas party. The house was filled with friends for our 3^rd annual Christmas Family Dinner. Food was plentiful, Pit (a fantastic card game) was in full swing and the drinks they were a flowing. After a few too many Blueberry beers, my rosy cheeked self decided it was time to run to the grocery store. Enlisting the help of my evil twin, we set out.

I knew exactly what I wanted. I found the bread aisle and went to town. A loaf of the best white bread the store had to offer, the biggest jar of peanut butter I could find, and a vat of Marshmallow fluff. My husband deserved the greatest peanut butter sandwich and he was going to get it. When I got home, I proclaimed my victory and got to work. I thought I had created the best Fluffnutter sandwich in the entire world. I found out later I missed the bread with the marshmallow fluff and peanut buttered all sides of the bread. But, Alex ate that sandwich like it was the greatest peanut butter delicacy he has ever had. And that is why I broke down and today, peanut butter makes it into the menu. Because I really love that man and that man really loves peanut butter.

This is the best recipe I have found dinnerwise when incorporating peanut butter and it is a cooking light recipe. That is what we call a win-win situation.

Flank Steak with Hot Peanut Sauce

By keeping the meat serving to a sensible three-ounce cooked portion and using the low-fat but flavorful flank cut, this entrée limits saturated fat while offering plenty of iron and protein. Prepare steamed rice and sautéed baby bok choy while the meat marinates.

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 3 ounces steak and about 1/4 cup sauce)

Ingredients

• 1/3  cup  chopped green onions
• 1/3  cup  low-sodium soy sauce
• 1  tablespoon  brown sugar
• 1  tablespoon  minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lime juice
• 2  teaspoons  sesame oil
• 1  teaspoon  crushed red pepper
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed and cut diagonally into thin slices
• 1/2  cup  water
• 1  tablespoon  crunchy peanut butter
• 1  teaspoon  cornstarch

Preparation

1. Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place steak and 1/4 cup onion mixture in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator at least 2 hours or overnight, turning bag occasionally.

2. Combine remaining 1/4 cup marinade, 1/2 cup water, peanut butter, and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; keep warm.

3. Remove steak from bag, discarding marinade. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Serve with sauce.