Healthy Peanut Butter Recipes

This satisfying vegetarian, sweet potato soup is inspired by the flavors of West African peanut soup. We like the added zip of hot green chiles, but they can sometimes be very spicy. It's best to take a small bite first and add them to taste. Try chopped peanuts and scallions for a different garnish. Serve with a mixed green salad with vinaigrette. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.

If you can't find a bagged vegetable medley for this easy noodle bowl, choose 12 ounces of cut vegetables from your market's salad bar and create your own mix.

These peanut butter-pretzel truffles satisfy your craving for something sweet and salty.

Tofu and vegetables get a dramatic lift from a spicy peanut sauce. Serve with a cucumber salad for a low-calorie, nutrient-packed vegetarian supper.

This carbohydrate-rich bar, full of nuts, seeds, fruit and oats, was adapted from Amy Harrison's prize-winning submission in the Plains (Georgia) Peanut Festival recipe competition sponsored by The Peanut Institute. It includes a little protein, and is a great grab-and-go pre-workout snack on mornings when you don't have time to digest a full meal.

These soft chocolate cookies have a big peanut flavor since they use peanut butter and peanut butter chips.

This spicy vegetable, quinoa and peanut soup recipe is a modern take on a traditional Bolivian soup recipe called Sopa de Mani. Serve this healthy quinoa soup recipe as a starter or make it a heartier meal by adding diced cooked chicken or turkey breast to the soup.

Serve this Thai twist on pizza as is or with optional toppings, such as thinly sliced basil, cilantro, chopped peanuts and/or crushed red pepper on the side.

The subtly sweet peanut sauce blends deliciously in this beef, cabbage and carrot sauté. Spice up the dish with a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce. Serve with udon noodles.

Broccoli and red bell pepper tossed with a spicy peanut sauce makes a delicious side or stir in some cooked chicken or tofu to make it a main dish.

This sesame chicken and noodle salad couldn't be simpler to make. And the secret to this saucy sesame chicken and noodle salad is in its beautiful raw veggies--it's got great crunch. It's a simple, healthy, affordable dish to serve on a hot summer's night or to bring to a potluck: just toss the salad with the dressing when you're ready to serve. (Recipe adapted from Simply Ming One-Pot Meals by Ming Tsai and Arthur Boehm; Kyle Books, 2010.)

Rich, dark and delicious, mole is a signature sauce in Mexican cooking. There are many variations, but the basic ingredients include plenty of chiles and nuts along with a touch of chocolate to tame the heat of the chiles. Traditional recipes can take several hours to prepare--this quick version takes a few shortcuts by using chili powder, nut butter and chocolate chips. Serve with rice and a medley of sautéed zucchini, pepper and onion.

Spicy peanut sauce is the perfect match for these Thai-marinated grilled chicken strips.

A healthier version of an old favorite, these peanut butter cookies have much less saturated fat than the original.

In this African peanut and chicken stew recipe, nutrient-rich sweet potatoes and no-salt-added tomatoes keep this creamy stew healthy. To complete the bowl, the flavorful chicken stew is served over whole-wheat couscous seasoned with lime juice and chopped fresh cilantro.

Your kids will love helping you make these peanut butter-graham treats.

Thai curry paste delivers a spicy kick-in-the-pants in this healthy peanut noodle recipe. If you haven't tried kohlrabi yet, here's your excuse to buy it. The bulbous vegetable is related to broccoli and Brussels sprouts, but has a milder, sweet flavor and fabulous crunch.

Distinctive flavors from the cuisine of Sichuan province in China--peanut, sesame, hot red pepper, ginger and garlic--play against a backdrop of sweet carrots in this beautiful burnished-orange soup.

This earthy soup is traditionally served during Kwanzaa celebrations in the United States. Pantry items make it a snap to whip up on any night.

Whole-wheat pasta adds nutty flavor plus extra nutrients and fiber to our version of peanut noodles. If you like, add diced baked tofu to boost the protein and add calcium.