Product Review: Wild Friends Nut Butter

Howdy Friends!

I hope everyone had a great weekend spending time with family and celebrating dads. One of the things my dad and I have in common is our love for the ABC show Shark Tank. It's a show about start-up entrepreneurs who pitch their products to successful businessmen and women (like Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban) in the hopes of obtaining investments to advance their companies. Some of the products these people come up with are totally wacko (see the Arkeg); but others are truly genius, like Wild Friends Nut Butters.

Wild Friends was started by a pair of roommates at the University of Oregon who had a shortage of peanut butter, but a surplus of creativity and tenacity. The two girls started making their own peanut butter right out of their dorm room and the results were impressive. They took their idea for homemade, organic and additive-free spreads to the Shark Tank board room and earned a hefty investment for a large scale launch of their product. Now Wild Friends Nut Butters can be found in over 150 grocery stores and counting across the country; and after tasting it for myself, it's not hard to see why. 

I was elated to discover the line of Wild Friends spreads had come to my local grocery store; and even better: THEY WERE ON SALE. I opted to try the Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter, because who doesn't love chocolate and coconut together?! YUM! I couldn't wait to get home to sample this delicious concoction and...oh my...it sure is heavenly.

The peanut butter is sinfully thick and rich. Though smooth, this spread has little bits of ground peanut and coconut throughout giving it a nice, natural texture. It's the perfect consistency for both creamy and chunky lovers. The dark chocolate adds a delicious cocoa flavor without being over powering.

This peanut butter is like an Almond Joy and a Reese's cup got married and had a baby. HALLELUJAH THANK YA JESUS, what a match made in heaven. I have yet to put this on something I haven't liked: pretzels, breads, chips, crackers, cake, cookies, celery, apples, mmm. But wait, IT GETS EVEN BETTER. All of their products are made sans preservatives and additives. This particular variety is made with peanuts, chocolate, coconut, oil and sea salt. That's it. Not only is this peanut butter good, but it's good for you. I can't wait to try their other varieties.

Another great thing I love about Wild Friends is their blog, in which founders Erika and Keeley share their passion for food, recipes and life in general. It's a great read with some great tips.

I hope you get to try Wild Friends Nut Butters, too. Let me know what you think of their products and be sure to follow them on all the social networks!

Bon Appetit,

KK

Thai Marinated Tuna Steaks

Happy Tuesday Friends!

I hope everyone is having a splendid week. I know for me personally, it has been very hectic and stressful; and it's not even half over yet. I pray that the rest of you are having an enjoyable evening and a nice week full of friends, family and fun.

During stressful times like this, I am much more likely to hit the McDonald's drive thru (icky as it may be, I am a sucker for a double cheeseburger with fries). When I do this, it opens up a pandora's box of poor eating choices. In my quest to satsify my salty cravings while still putting nourishing food in my body, I created a tasty and simple marinade that is perfect for your favorite seafood dishes and is sure to satisfy your cravings for something naughty.

This recipe is the bomb because it combines two of my favorite things: soy sauce and PB2 by Bell Plantation. If you have never tried PB2, then you are in for a treat. It is a powdered peanut butter with almost no fat, no unhealthy oils and no sugar. It is also great to add to sandwiches, yogurt and milkshakes or whatever you would normally eat peanut butter with.

Ok so enough about that. Here's how you make it:

Thai Tuna Marinade

 

Ingredients:

1 lb of tuna steaks, filleted in half
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup water
5 tbsp PB2 powder
2 tsp dried ground ginger
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 tbsp sesame oil (olive oil will work if you don't have sesame oil)
black pepper to taste

Instructions:

In a quart size bag, mix combine soy sauce, water, PB2 and ginger. Close the bag and shake until well mixed. Add filleted tuna steaks (there should be 4 steaks, each 1/4 lb) to the bag and coat with mixture. Let marinate for 20 minutes. After tuna is finished marinating, heat oil and garlic in a medium skillet over medium heat. Season fish with black pepper. Add steaks to the pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side.

Serve warm with a salad or your favorite side dish. Super easy. Super tasty. Aw yeah.

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I hope you enjoy it! Comment below with your questions and concerns, or send them to keencuisine@gmail.com.

Bon Appetit,

KK