You’d think National Peanut Month would fall during the summer, when you can crack them open and toss the shells on the ground at the ballpark.
Instead, March is National Peanut Month, with as many special days as you might find in an extra-long peanut shell:
- March 1 is National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day
- March 8 is National Peanut Cluster Day
- March 15 is National Peanut Lovers’ Day
Did you know? Peanuts have more protein than any nut – 7 grams per serving – and contain more than 30 essential vitamins and minerals. Peanuts also are a good source of fiber and good fats.
Let’s talk a little more about those fats. Most of the fat in peanuts is unsaturated fat – the good kind, which may reduce the risk of heart disease. For example, one serving of dry-roasted peanuts (30 grams) has 12 grams of unsaturated fat, 2 grams of saturated fat and no trans fat.
Here are three recipes that highlight the nutritional benefits of peanuts.
Smoky Peanut Butter Chicken Tenders
Prep time: 30 minutes. Makes 4 servings of 2 tenders each
Ingredients
¼ cup buttermilk
1 egg
½ teaspoon salt, divided
Fresh ground pepper to taste
¼ cup powdered peanut butter
1 heaping teaspoon smoked paprika
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 pound chicken tenders (or 1 pound chicken breast cut into strips)
Non-stick pan spray (such as Pam)
Chopped peanuts for garnish
Directions
Heat oven to 400 F. Mix together buttermilk, egg, ¼ teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper in a shallow dish. In a separate shallow dish, mix together powdered peanut butter, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and fresh ground pepper. Line a sheet pan with foil and spray a rack with non-stick spray to place on top of it. Dredge each piece of chicken first in the buttermilk mixture, then in the powdered peanut butter mixture and line them up on the rack (Make more peanut flour mixture if necessary). Spritz the chicken pieces with the non-stick spray. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the pieces reach 170 degrees. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts.
Nutrition information per serving
170 calories, 40 calories from fat, 4.5g fat, 0g trans fats, 125 mg cholesterol, 2g carbohydrate, 28g protein, 460 mg sodium
Source: National Peanut Board
Peach Peanut Salsa
This low-calorie, high-protein snack can be served on raw vegetables or baked tortilla chips. It also can be spread over fish or grilled chicken – even Smoky Peanut Butter Chicken Tenders!
Makes 6 portions
Ingredients
1 pound ripe, firm peaches, pitted and cut into ½-inch dice
2 medium plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3 ounces lightly salted dry roasted peanuts
1/3 cup chopped white onion
½ jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
¼ teaspoon salt
Directions
Combine peaches, tomatoes, peanuts, onion, jalapeño pepper, lime juice, cilantro and salt in a bowl. Mix well and let stand 30 minutes before serving.
Nutrition information per serving
125 calories, 5g protein, 12g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 7g fat, 1g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 147 mg sodium.
Source: The Peanut Institute
3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
These peanut butter cookies are vegan, gluten free and grain free.
Prep time: 5 minutes. Makes 10 cookies
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted natural peanut butter
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon sea salt (if you want a sweet and salty flavor; otherwise, use ½ teaspoon sea salt for a sweeter flavor)
Directions
Heat oven to 350 F. In a food processor, combine all three ingredients. Using a cookie scoop, drop cookies onto a lined baking sheet. Use a fork to flatten then and make the cross pattern. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cookies cool before removing from the baking sheet.
Source: My Whole Food Life blog