Nut 'n Bean - Bacon Chocolate Peanut Butter - May 31, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Nut 'n Bean
Bacon Chocolate Peanut Butter
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) (estimate) / 8 oz. (227 g.) total jar
Calories: 190 calories (estimate) in 2 Tbsp.
Cost: $9.00 (estimate)
Purchased from: Nut 'n Bean table at Palo Alto Farmers Market, Palo Alto, CA

Holy breakfast on toast Batman. This peanut butter spread had it all, or at least all the good stuff, like bacon and chocolate. It was soft and easy to spread, and I liked the chewy bits of savory bacon that were interspersed throughout. The chocolate gave it an added richness, without making this peanut butter too sweet.

Gently trowel some of this spread onto your bread of choice, add a lettuce leaf and a slice of extra bacon), or some chopped peanuts. Serve with a small glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice on the side and you can talk yourself into calling this combination a balanced meal.

Ingredients: peanuts, grapeseed oil, dairy free 51% chocolate, bacon and sea salt.

Patric Chocolate - Spicy Thai Peanut bar - May 30, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Patric Chocolate
Spicy Thai Peanut bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 172 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Peanut Butter Theme Week.

Patric Chocolate (Columbia, MO) produces a line of bean-to-bar, craft chocolate, single origin and flavored bars -- including limited release bars like today's Spicy Thai Peanut bar that I bought from The Chocolate Garage in Palo Alto, CA.

The base chocolate for this bar -- made from organic cacao beans and organic cane sugar -- had bright, fruit/berry notes that managed to shine through, even with Thai-inspired flavor additions like ginger-infused sugar crystals, roasted peanuts and habanero sea salt, competing for attention. The bar was soy and gluten free.

I envisioned eating this bar with spicy peanut butter sauce over chicken and rice, with pad thai and mango salad on the side.

Safeway Peanut Butter Cup ice cream - May 29, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Safeway Select
Super Premium - Peanut Butter Cup ice cream
Good - Good+
Weight: 1/3 cup oz. (78 g.) / 1 Pint (473 mL) in total container
Calories: 264 calories in 1/3 cup serving
Cost: $2.99 (estimate)
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Peanut Butter Theme Week, and I celebrated with two different ice creams that incorporated peanut butter and chocolate. The Safeway Select ice cream (shown in dish at right) contained broken up chunks of peanut butter cups, evoking childhood memories of favorite chocolate candy.

The second ice cream was "What a Cluster" ice cream from Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream -- a company known for its clever product names. And, while What a Cluster did have a smidge of cocoa in it -- qualifying it as a chocolate item -- I chose this cold, sweet treat for its clever title. What a Cluster ice cream was a melange of peanut butter ice cream, caramel cluster pieces, marshmallow swirls and "peanut buttery swirls."

PB2 - Powdered Peanut Butter with Chocolate - May 28, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

PB2
Powdered Peanut Butter with premium chocolate
Good
Weight: .85 oz. (24 g.) in 1 package
Calories: 90 calories in 1 package
Cost: $1.50 for 1 package
Purchased from: REI, Mountain View, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Peanut Butter Theme Week.

What is powdered peanut butter? Made for Bell Plantation (Tifton, GA), this PB2 package contained a powder that was made from slow roasted and pressed peanuts. The pressing process removed 85 percent of the fat/oil, according to the information on the packaging. The list of ingredients was short: roasted peanuts, cocoa powder, sugar and salt.

Add water until you reach a creamy consistency and you have instant chocolate peanut butter that would be handy for multiple uses, including a topping for ice cream, camping trips, fancy sandwich making, or snacks on the go. I added water, stirred the resulting paste, and let it sit for a minute. Then I added a bit more water. The texture was smooth and creamy, the chocolate taste was very mild, and the sugar and salt seemed minimal -- to my liking.

I paired this gluten-free PB2 peanut butter with a gluten-free Picky Bar ("made for picky eaters on the go"). This Picky Bar ("Lauren's Mega Nuts - Peanut Butter Booyah") was very fruity tasting, and the PB2 peanut butter helped evoke a peanut butter and jelly sandwich flavor. And, there was still plenty of PB2 leftover to try eating plain, or tasting with small bits of other items (banana, cookie, apple).

Van's - Peanut Butter Chocolate bars - May 27, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Van's Natural Foods
Peanut Butter Chocolate snack bars
Good
Weight: 1.2 oz. (35 g.) / 6.2 oz. (175 g.) total box of 5 bars
Calories: 160 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $5.49 for 1 box of 5 bars
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Peanut Butter Theme Week.

These gluten-free Peanut Butter Chocolate snack bars from Van's Natural Foods (Vernon, CA) were slightly chewy and were made with gluten-free oats. The bars contained both peanut butter chips and chocolate chips. And the incorporation of fig paste helped give these a pleasantly sweet and moist chewy texture.

The flavors and textures were fairly well balanced. I would have liked a bit more chocolate and peanut butter; although the sweetness level was about right for my taste. (I don't care for gooey sweet snack bars unless, oddly, there are lots of nuts involved.)

I ate this snack bar after some early morning exercise, before harnessing myself to my office chair for several hours of computer time. I would love to be outside today taking a hike; but on busier days like today, snack bars like this can come in handy.

Edy's Peanut Butter Sundae ice cream - May 26, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Edy's Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Sundae ice cream
Good
Weight: 1/2 cup (66 g.) / 1.5 Quarts (1.41 L) total container
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 cup serving
Cost: $3.69 (estimate) (sale)
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Today was the first day of Chocolate and Peanut Butter Theme Week.

Most of this week's chocolate + peanut butter treats will involve ice cream, due to the warm weather we're experiencing. However, I'll eat ice cream anytime.

The Edy's brand originated in Oakland, CA, in the 1920s, and is now part of Nestle.

Today's Edy's Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Sundae ice cream had enough going on, including a long peanut butter ice cream ripple down the middle of the container, that I merely garnished my scoop in a dish with a few salted peanuts and a dab of coconut chocolate topping, and called this sundae done.

Supah Stah - Mulberry bar - May 25, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Supah Stah
Mulberry bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Fruit Salad Theme Week.

This Supah Stah Mulberry Dark Chocolate Superfood Bar was made from 100% Organic ingredients, and was vegan, grain free and gluten free, with no refined sugars.

A tiny riot of coconut flakes and bits of mulberries adorned the back of this smooth, dark bar, that was sweetened with coconut palm sugar. I've found that coconut palm sugar gives chocolate (and other desserts) a flavorful sweet taste (think caramelized or maple sugar), without the jangly buzz of white sugar.

The chocolate was very smooth and buttery, partly due to added cocoa butter, with some added chewiness from the coconut flakes and mulberry bits.

Mulberries are a wonderful earthy golden color. Inspired by this fruit, I paired this Mulberry bar with a golden fruit and vegetable salad - with yellow and orange carrots, fresh orange, nectarine, caraway seeds, raisins, a very small pinch of salt, and arugula.