Chocolate Sunflower Bars

I don't even remember if we have tried this recipe.  I found it written down in one of my old notebooks.  Posting it here so we can find it and try it.

1/4 c. Spectrum Shortening or Earth Balance Soy Free Buttery sticks
1/4 c. creamy Sunbutter
1c. crushed Enjoy Life Foods Vanilla Honey Graham crunchy cookies (about 9 cookies)
2 T. quinoa flakes
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. Sunbutter
1/2 c. Enjoy Life Food Mini Chocolate Chips

Mix the shortening, 1/4 c. creamy sunbutter, cookies, quinoa flakes, and powdered sugar.  Press this mixture into an 8 x 8 baking dish.

In a small bowl, using the microwave, or a small saucepan on the stove top, warm the 1/2 c. sunbutter with mini chocolate chips, mixing until completely blended.  Pour in the 8 x 8 dish with the graham crust.  Chill in the refrigerator 1-2 hours.  Cut into 16 bars.

SunButter Chocolate Chips Cookies

I caught her with only two cookies left to take the picture!
This recipe was inspired when I was making Hannah's Papa his favorite Peanut Butter Cookies.

1/3 cup Earth Balance Soy Free Buttery sticks
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup SunButter, Natural Crunch or Creamy
1 1/2 tsp Ener-G egg replacer
2 T. warm water
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups Rice Flour Mix
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 bag Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips

Heat oven to 375° F. Cream together the buttery sticks, sugar and brown sugar until sugars are dissolved.  Add SunButter, egg replacer and water, and vanilla, beat until smooth.  In a separate bowl, combine rice flour mix, baking soda, baking powder, and mini chips.  Add to creamed mixture and mix well.  Chill if needed.  Drop by teaspoon full onto ungreased baking sheets.  Bake in hot oven 10-12 min.  about 4 dozen cookies.

Fudgy Chocolate Sunbutter Pie

This one comes from the Enjoy Life® cookbook.  I forgot to take a photo.

1 Classic Graham Cracker Crust (recipe below)
1 bag Enjoy Life® Semi Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips
1 T. tapioca starch
1 c. cold water
1 c. smooth sunbutter
1 T. vanilla
1 T. corn syrup
Sunflower seeds, shelled

Prepare Graham Cracker Crust.  Set aside.

Pour chocolate chips into a medium sized bowl, reserving a small amount for pie topping.  In a small saucepan, whisk the tapioca starch into the cold water.  Heat over medium heat, bring to a simmer to turn into a translucent gel.  Pour immediately over chocolate, stirring constantly, until all chocolate melts. Lumpy and bumpy- don't worry!  Immediately whisk in the sunbutter.  It will begin to look smooth, though possibly grainy.  Stir in the vanilla and corn syrup.  Pour into the prepared pie crust.  Garnish with reserved mini chips, crumbs and sunflower seeds.  Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.  Serve cold or room temperature.  Store tightly covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days.

Enjoy Life's Classic Graham Cracker Crust
1 box Enjoy Life® Crunchy Vanilla Honey Graham Cookies
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. oil or melted Spectrum Shortening, or coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350°.
Place entire contents of boxed cookies in a food processor with the sugar.  Process until fine. Add oil and process until mixture becomes a little wet.  Reserve a small amount to sprinkle on top of the sunbutter pie.
Pour the mixture into the middle of the pie pan. Use your fingers to spread and press the mixture to 1/8" thickness covering the whole pie pan with no holes.
Bake for 8-10 min., or until crust is golden brown.

Sunbutter Cups

This comes from the Enjoy Life® cookbook, except I did not use the Dark Choco Boom bars.  Instead I the regular Choco Boom bars.  I tried my hand at tempering the chocolate, so I did not add add sunbutter to the chocolate as their recipe book said.  As a result I was short on chocolate, I did not get 12 cups.  Next time I will use 2 1/2 Choco Boom bars.

Sunbutter filling:
3 T. smooth sunbutter
1 t. vanilla extract
2 t. corn syrup
1 T. powdered sugar

Combine all the ingredients until smooth.  Roll into marble sized balls, flattened a little.  Set aside.

Line a mini cupcake pan with paper liners.

2 1/2 bar Enjoy Life® Chocolate Choco Boom® bars, regular or dark
To Temper the Chocolate: Chop the chocolate into fine pieces.  Place 2/3 of the chocolate in the top pan of a double broiler.  (I do not have double broiler. I used a medium sized pan full of water with my all-metal fry spider balanced over the top the medium pan. I placed the small saucepan on top of the spider.  It was a balancing act, but it worked!)  Heat over hot, not boiling water, stirring constantly until chocolate reaches 110° - 115° F.  Place the top pan on a towel.  Cool to 95°-100° F.  Add the remaining chocolate to the top pan, stirring until melted.  The chocolate is now ready to be used for molding candies, coating, or dipping.

Drizzle tempered chocolate to cover the bottom and up the sides of each muffin cup.  Add the flattened sunbutter ball, top with chocolate to cover. Place in the refrigerator to set.

SunButternut Quinoa Soup

I adapted this recipe from the Adam's Peanut Butter website!  Only I used Sunbutter instead.  I found it very good indeed!

Makes 6 (1 cup) servings

1 T. olive oil

1/2 c. chopped onion

2 cups, peeled, seeded, cubed to bite-size butternut squash

1 cup yellow corn

1/2 cup chopped red pepper

1/4 cup Sunbutter

1 cup water

1 tsp. cumin

1/2/ tsp. salt

28 oz. reduced sodium broth, chicken or vegetable

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed well until water runs clear

2 tsp. finely minced cilantro

Cayenne pepper to taste, if desired (I didn't use this in mine, I don't like spicey)

Heat 4 qt. saucpan over medium heat.  Add oil.  Allow the oil to heat up, add onions.  Cook slowly until soft and yellow in color.  Stir in squash, corn and red pepper.  Cook 5 min.

Blend Sunbutter, water, cumin and salt in blender or food processor until combined.  Add to vegetables in saucepan.  Stir in broth and quinoa.  Bring to boil; reduce to simmer.  Cover and simmer 15 min. or until quinoa is tender.

Remove from heat.  Stir in cilantro; cover.  Allow soup to thicken 10 min.  Season to taste with cayenne pepper, if desired.

I typed this recipe into my Lose It! Kindle App to get the nutrition results:

per 1 cup serving:

206 calories

6.5 grams Protein

7.8 grams Fat

0 Cholesterol

using not low sodium chicken broth: 711.8 mg Sodium

28 g. Carbohydrates