Soy Butter. My New Peanut Butter?

I'm a big fan of soy, despite some of the scary information that can be found online. I still believe it's good to consume soy, whether it's for heart health, cancer prevention, or just as a way to get some vegetarian protein. And as I've said before, eating soy may help prevent some of the dreadful side effects of PMS.

My mom introduced me to this SoyNut butter a few weeks ago. At first I wasn't a huge fan, and to be honest I still don't love it (and no, it's not my new peanut butter!). However, I discovered it works really well in recipes, and it mimics the taste of peanut butter in my Low FODMAP granola recipe, and even my lower fat/lower calorie buckeyes.

And yes, it looks just like peanut butter!
(it comes in crunchy too)

They say this soy butter has "1 Net Carb" because if a product has 5 or more grams of fiber, per serving, you can subtract those grams from the total carbohydrates. This is mainly important for diabetics who have to count their carbs, so I'm not particularly interested in this.

The real reason why I think this is a great alternative to peanut butter is..........

.....what do you think by looking at this label?

More protein than most nut butters


More fiber than most nut butters


Less saturated fat than most nut butters


Even though it's not written out, I would assume this product is a good source of Omega-3 fats (alpha linolenic acid).


Less sodium than most nut butters (almond butter typically has even less)


Less sugar than most nut butters (especially the reduced fat varieties)


It contains 1/3 of your soy for the day (~25 grams of soy is recommended for heart health)


Contains isoflavones, which may help prevent certain cancers




Question: Have you ever tried any type of soy nut butter? What about sunflower butter?

Stay tuned for a cookie recipe, which includes soy nut butter, coming up on Sunday!

Also check out these past soy-related posts;

Video blog about soy yogurt

What the heck is soy protein isolate?

What the soy research indicates

Soy and breast cancer

Modify to Healthify!

I don't think I would argue with anyone who said to me, "Gina, you never follow any recipe 100%!". I think it's true. If I know of a healthier ingredient, or a great way to modify a recipe to make it more healthy, I will go that route. Why not?

I wanted to make buckeyes this week before the game, and I found this recipe on AllRecipes.com. Three hundred and thirty calories per buckeye? I would rather eat a hot fudge sundae, thanks.

I decided to recreate the recipe by using this butter:

The BETTER BUTTER!

Long ingredient list, but I'm not going to get too picky. At least I know what all of these ingredients are!



Since I refuse to eat Smart Balance peanut butter anymore (the fish smell is back!) I've switched the Reduced Fat Smucker's. You're probably thinking; "Gina, you posted about how reduced fat peanut butter isn't better than regular, and in fact is worse!". Yes, this is true, but the Smucker's variety still has very little sodium and sugar, unlike most reduced fat peanut butters. True, it has less of the healthy fats, but I don't eat this stuff all the time.



I'll talk more about this soy nut butter that I used in the buckeyes, at a later date.

Ingredients

6 T Reduced Fat Smucker's Peanut Butter
6T Soy Nut Butter
1/2 cup Smart Balance 50/50 butter blend sicks
2 cup + 2 T confectioner's sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

In a large bowl you will mix together the first five ingredients (you'll have to soften the butter and perhaps the nut butters). Next you will roll the dough into ~1 inch balls and place on a piece of foil or waxed paper on a large cookie sheet. Press a toothpick in the center of the balls so you can dip them in chocolate later on. Next, place the cookie sheet (with the rolled balls) in the freezer for about 30 minutes.

Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler, stiring frequently. Get the balls out of the freezer after the 30 minutes is up, and start dipping! Make sure to leave some of the nut butter balls showing (hehe, lots of "balls" in this recipe!).



Put them back in the freezer after dipping, then eat them after about another 30 minutes.

Nutrition for One Buckeye

Calories: ~85
Sugar: ~9 grams
Fat: ~5g
Fiber: ~.5 gram

I think I could still make these healthier (use dark chocolate? carob chips? make them even smaller?!). But until I do that, I hope you can try these out and enjoy them as much as my co-workers and I did!

Here is another fun recipe that I sort of threw together.

Chicken salad with ~5-6 ounces grilled chicken, 1/2 cup sliced almonds, 2 hard-boiled eggs, ~1/2 cup 0% fat Greek yogurt, and a dash of salt and pepper.

** You can add more or less of each ingredient, depending on how you like your chicken salad!**



Who needs mayo when you have Greek yogurt?!

Question: Do you love to modify to healthify?! What do you modify?? Any fun Labor Day recipes?