PB2 is a new product that will change the way you look at peanut butter. Peanut butter has been with us since the Aztecs ground roasted peanuts into a paste, and it was a Canuck, a chemist named Marcellus Edson from Montreal who obtained the first patent for peanut butter, a product he developed as a nutritious food for people who had difficulty chewing solid food.
Since then, all manner of peanut butters have been trotted out, crunchy, smooth, all-natural, sugary, sugar free, and of course there are many options for people who are allergic to peanuts.
But for those who are not allergic to peanuts, none of the options out there have really addressed a common complaint; peanuts are half oil, so most of the calories in peanut butter come from the fat. Peanut butter is high in calories, with a serving of 12 g (2 tablespoons) providing a whopping 190 calories-130 of these in the oil-and 3 g of saturated fat.
PB2 is dried peanut powder that is made by slow roasting the peanuts, then pressing them to remove 85% of the fat and oil. Compared to the nutritional profile of regular peanut butter, 12 g of PB2 has 45 calories-13 of these from the oil-and 0g of saturated fat.
To use PB2, you just mix it up 2 parts powder to 1 part water. It mixes super easy with a spoon, and you only need to mix up as much as you want to use at a time since there are no preservatives; but it is dried powder, so you can store it on your pantry shelf, no need to refrigerate. And it is delicious! Totally easy to spread, and of course you can make it easier to spread simply by adding more water.
But here’s the really cool thing about PB2; you don’t have to mix it with water, you can use any liquid. If you mix PB2 with a little grape juice, you get an instant spread that tastes like the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Add a small amount of powdered cocoa and you will have a spread that tastes like a peanut putter cup. Add a little milk and good-bye Nutella!
I mixed up a few tablespoons of PB2 with a little tigernut powder and wheat germ with coconut milk. Absolutely delicious! Think about the other taste profiles that match with peanuts. Maybe mix it with a little flat ginger ale or coconut milk for a satay type sauce. Or use it in baking, wherever you would use peanuts or peanut butter for a whopping reduction in fat and calories without sacrificing nutrition or taste.
This product would also be great for backpacking or camping, as it is light in weight. It is all natural, non GMO, kosher, and the ingredients are: roasted peanuts, sugar (1 g per serving) and salt. Two tablespoons also provides you with 5 g of protein2 g of fibre and 0 cholesterol.
PB2 is manufactured in the US by BellPlantation, a family business started in 1991 as an agricultural research company attempting to address the needs of farmers by rethinking traditional methodology, and came up with PB2 as a great way to deal with a peanut surplus. And because of forward thinking like this, we, as consumers, benefit as well. FTW!
For some cool recipes for PB2 check here!