Healthy Peanut Recipes

Broccoli florets soak up the flavors from Chinese five-spice powder—a combination of sweet spices including anise, cinnamon, cloves and spicy Szechuan peppercorns. Serve over black rice.

Using applesauce in the peanut dressing lends a sweet, tart flavor that pairs wonderfully with shrimp.

This sweet and tangy salad of cucumber, scallions and pepper is packed with vibrant Thai flavors and a bit of extra crunch from dry-roasted peanuts. If possible, use a red jalapeño (or chile) to brighten the salad with a few specks of red. Cut the heat by removing the seeds before chopping.

In these ground chicken lettuce wraps, cashews and celery add crunch and freshness to the spicy-sweet chicken filling.

Ginger, edamame, and peanuts complete this healthy take on Pad Thai noodles.

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.

Cabbage is a tasty low-calorie stand-in for buns or bread in this healthy chicken lettuce wrap recipe. Don't limit yourself to cabbage for this Thai-inspired recipe--any fresh green that's sturdy enough to wrap around 1/2 cup of filling works.

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.

Cookie recipes usually require you to combine the liquid ingredients in one bowl and dry ingredients in another, but for this gluten-free cookie recipe the dry ingredients are sprinkled right on top of the liquids so there's just one bowl to clean. Don't skip the step of refrigerating the dough. The oat flour needs time to hydrate or the cookies will be too dry and crumbly. Regular rolled oats work if you're not gluten-sensitive.

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 healthy snack recipe tosses together crunchy popcorn, salty peanuts and a touch of honey for the perfect sweet-salty snack to satisfy that afternoon, or evening, craving.

Cabbage is a tasty low-calorie stand-in for buns or bread in this healthy, gluten-free lettuce wrap recipe. Don't limit yourself to cabbage for this recipe--any fresh green sturdy enough to wrap around 1/2 cup of filling works.

All that's required to make fresh-from-the-oven cookies is five ingredients, a single bowl and 35 minutes. "These cookies are a staple in our house," says Top Chef 's Season 14 champ Brooke Williamson. "The almond butter they call for is loaded with healthy fats and adds protein. My son Hudson is a big fan of them too!" If you use roasted almond butter, your cookies will have a darker hue.

This crunchy salad is made with spiralized carrots instead of noodles. Make sure to use unrefined peanut oil, which is way more flavorful than its refined counterpart and is one of the trio of peanutty ingredients that makes this simple salad stand out. Look for it with other specialty oils or in the Asian section of your grocery store.

These healthy, homemade granola bars are reminiscent of peanut butter-and-banana sandwiches. Be sure to look for dried banana, not banana chips. The chips are cooked in oil and, if not stored properly, can have an off taste. We tested several sticky sweeteners, including maple syrup and honey, but found brown rice syrup held the bars together the best.

Food writer and photographer Nik Sharma tops these go-with-everything crispy hasselback potatoes with a vibrant green dressing that gets its savoriness from a hit of fish sauce.

Prep all the ingredients before you begin the celery stir-fry--once the skillet is hot, the dish cooks in minutes. Cut zest from the orange with a vegetable peeler before you juice it.

Turn this savory Thai salad into an easy weeknight dinner by doubling the dressing and tossing it with cooked shrimp and chilled rice noodles.

Plan ahead before you prep the grill for this grilled chicken recipe: marinating the chicken in a mix of peanut butter, lime, and chipotle peppers results in tender meat and bold flavors.

Get the salty-sweet chocolate satisfaction of a candy bar with this better-for-you chocolate-peanut butter gluten-free snack or dessert recipe. Pair it with a glass of milk, hot or cold, for a boost of calcium and protein.

Because these sweet, crunchy treats take just 45 minutes to prepare, they can be made on short notice. Consider doubling the recipe--stored in an airtight container in the freezer, an extra batch will last for up to 3 months.

It's quick and easy to mix together these slice-and-bake peanut butter cookies whenever you need something sweet. The recipe makes enough dough so you can bake half and put the other half in the freezer--ready to pull out and bake up a few fresh cookies anytime.

Salsa macha is a spicy condiment from Mexico, specifically the Veracruz region, made primarily of dried chile peppers and nuts and/or seeds. You might find a few variations across Mexico, but this one has straightforward simplicity and easy-to-procure ingredients. Also, the use of dried chipotles means it has some intense heat. Use salsa macha as a dip for chips, dollop it onto grilled fish, or stir it into other salsas, guacamole and even stews.

This grown-up version of ice cream cake is a little sweet and a little salty. The yogurt cake gets its distinct flavor from freeze-dried banana slices--they can be pulverized into a powder (unlike regular dried bananas, which have a chewy texture). Read more about Kristen Hartke's love of baking.