But before snack, we probably ought to have dinner.
Everyone knows you’re supposed to finish all your veggies before you get dessert, right? (Did y’all ever have “backwards days”? My sister and I used to get so excited whenever our mom would declare a backwards day where we could eat dessert before dinner.)
As dinnertime approached yesterday, I didn’t know what to make, but I did know there were a boatload of veggies to use up in the fridge. Normally, when that happens, it means some sort of stir fry is in order. And seeing that one of the veggies in need of eating was a can of Libby’s pumpkin, here’s what I made:
Besides the obvious pumpkin and spices called for in the recipe, my stir fry also had asparagus, onion, yellow squash, fresh garlic, and zucchini. I love this stir fry because it’s basically like a deconstructed stuffed winter squash. I threw my veggies over some bulgur, because Katie *hearts* bulgur.
But you don’t care, do you? No, you don’t care one bit. You’re only interested in the peanut butter dessert I mentioned earlier. So let’s get to that, shall we?
It’d be an understatement to say I’ve been obsessed with Coconut Butter Melties.
Our recent love affair goes way past obsession. (Is there a word for “more than obsessed”?) And last night, as I made more melties, I wondered, “Hey, why couldn’t I make these with peanut butter? Or any nut butter, for that matter?” So out came the Dark Chocolate Dreams and peanut butter melties were born! For the melties in the photos, I decided to simply shape them with my hands, forgoing the chocolate molds, to stress the fact that you do not need any sort of special equipment to make these things.
The Peanut Butter Melties are made just like the Coconut Melties, except they need to be frozen longer. If using ice cube trays or chocolate molds, you’ll know they’re cold enough when they slide easily out.
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purplebirdblog says
I’ve totally done the frozen Dark Chocolate Dreams in the past, but usually just in a blog wrapped in Saran Wrap. Freeze, unwrap, devour! 😀
purplebirdblog says
I typed blog, lol. I meant BLOB!
Nicole (Picky Nicky) says
I always wondered what peanut butter tastes like when it’s frozen! I guess there’s only one way to find out 🙂
Sarahishealthy says
Oh gosh yeah, we used to have backwards days! But they were more about getting to wear our clothes backwards, which was the best part :). I don’t know that we ever got to eat dessert for dinner. That wold have been the BEST! Hahaha but my eating habits weren’t very great when I was little, so I probably had snack-type foods for dinner a lot. I mean, chili cheese nachos as a dinner? Or frito pie? Yeah that’s not exactly healthy food for dinner. I might as well have been eating dessert!
abby says
ooooooo the melties look soooooo good! hehe i like oooooooos today apparently :). i’d try your coconut melties, but i am out of coconut butter. sad, i know! but i do have chocolate peanut butter. hooray!
abby says
oh, and the best thing i ate in the last 24 hours was probably my breakfast today. “melted banana” oats a la cck! 🙂 🙂
Tina says
Best thing I ate the last 24 hours: whole wheat round chocolate-flavoured organic cream biscuits! (without milk or egg)! I love them!!!!!!!But your “Melties” look also very good!
Best things in life are love and chocolate :-)!
Tina
lizlivingvegan says
DCD is my favorite PB&Co flavor!! Last week I finished of my jar with some protein ice cream and it was heavenly. But now I’m all out 🙁 Time to go to the store!!! Those melties look great 🙂
KellyJ says
I made lentils for dinner last night. I finally perfected a recipe that even the kids like 🙂
But the mounds babies I had left in the fridge were pretty good, too 😉
Oh, and I bought Giardelli 100% Chocolate. No cocoa butter = no melt in your mouth. A little wierd, but oh so good anyway.
~Kelly J.~
SoulyHis.blogspot.com
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Love lentils! I haven’t had any in a long time… not exactly sure why. Methinks I need to remedy this! 🙂
Anonymous says
One of our projects this weekend was to take all of our beans out of bags and put them in canning jars. Looks cute outside the cupboard and frees up much needed space INSIDE. We will be making lot’s of legume recipes in the coming weeks. I can’t believe we had so many!
Kelly J says
Perhaps I should fill out the form before pressing enter next time 🙂
Tori says
I’m going to guess, Hug a Coconut? Which I can’t participate in, because I don’t like coconut! Haha 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
EVERY month is “hug a coconut” month for me 🙂 :).
Jennifer - jcd says
Deconstructed stir fry looks great! Yum!
Best thing I ate in the past 24 hours… probably veggie sushi. But if you count 26 hours, some chocolate chip cookie dough fudge babies I had yesterday morning were super yummy.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Ok, we’ll make an exception for you and say 26 hours. Cause you are super-special :). But the veggie sushi sounds delicious as well. If only I could like seaweed… I’m really trying!
Lisa C. says
I had DCD this morning on my oatmeal! I love the stuff, and I have you to thank for introducing it to me :).
hungryforbalance says
The best thing I’ve eaten (besides some delish pineapple) is a big bowl of my homemade cashew chocolate granola. I should send ya a bag- you’d LOVE it! Oh, and to make it even better I drowned it in a pool of chocolate hemp milk. So much for dessert before dinner- how about for breakfast 😉
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Wow, that sounds like perfection in a bowl! Cashews and chocolate topped off with MORE chocolate? Seriously? Can I steal your lucky tastebuds? Mine are jealous ;).
Katelyn @ Chef Katelyn says
Hug a nut month! Or hug a veggie 🙂 Either one would make me BEYOND excited! (actually, *any* hug a ___ month would!)
Gloria says
When your dessert is healthy, it kinda counts as dinner, right? I have no idea what we’ll be hugging next, but I’m so excited for it! I love hugs 🙂
It’s a tough call for best thing I’ve eaten in the past day because I made both raw brownies and pumpkin spice almond butter! hehe, I promise I ate my veggies too!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Haha yeah why not? I mean, my desserts and breakfasts are usually interchangeable :).
Namaste Gurl says
Love pumpkin stir-fry– coincidentally, I got the idea from miss Heather 🙂 I don’t use pumpkin in a savory way much, so this easy dish is a good way to spice up the Libby’s. Oh, I do want to try my own take on tofu- pumpkin curry soon, super excited for that!
I’ve had some REALLLY yummy bfasts recently using none other than Libby’s pumpkin: Pumpkin- coconut oatmeal pancakes [!!] and a really yummy pumpkin yogurt parfait.
Oh, and I made pumpkin- coconut melties yesterday. They were SO extremely good, as their gone already! 🙂
hippierunner says
Backwards day sounds awesome!
Mandiee says
I love love love the idea of deconstructed stuffed squash. Actually, I love the idea of squash in almost anything. I hope next month is hug a veggie month because I always get my veggie hugging on :P! Vegetables are my favorite food group, for sure :D. Speaking of which the best thing I ate in the last 24 hours was slow-roasted kabocha and butternut squash. It was smooth like (vegan) buttahh and sweeter than candy <3.
Have a lovely day!
xox
P.S. Great idea for Heather! I'm so excited for her!
Maria says
I love Dark Chocolate Dreams. I buy in bulk whenever out local American food store gets it in – I’m so jealous you can get it everywhere! xxx
Sagojyou says
Yum! And the melties are cute! <3
I'd guess vegetables or cookies, because it seems common, and christmas isn't actually that far away!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Ooh hug a cookie? I think I’d eat them all though before I could get any hugs in ;). Especially if they were chocolate cookies…
couchpotatoathlete says
Katie this is why I love your blog — I see your ideas for freezing PB and for some reason that thought had never crossed my mind. I am definitely going to “make” these tonight!
Anonymous says
Hmm, I woulda thought nutbutters would go “chalky” in the freezer?? ill just have to find out! 🙂 the best thing ive eaten in the past 24 hours has to be my moms Irish stew. Its soooo cold and rainy here so it was perfect to eat by the fire this evening. Winter veg like parsnips, carrots and cellery, in a stock with chicken and sweet potatoe chunks (traditionally the stew is lamb and white potatoes but we prefer chicken and sweet potatoes are just so yumm!) 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Well, I haven’t tried plain pb. So maybe that would? Your veggie stew sounds so good and comforting :).
Tricia says
idk, i’ve put plain peanut butter in the freezer before and it was fine.
EmbraceYourSkin says
I think the word you are looking for is infatuated 🙂
chocolate-covered katie says
LOL Thank you :). Yes, I am definitely infatuated.
Mary @ Bites and Bliss says
Whoa, pumpkin pie stir fry?! That’s amazing. You’re amazing! Thanks for bringing dessert to dinner 😀
vegansunshine says
My guess is HUG A WINTER SQUASH MONTH! Ohh yeah I’d be down with that.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Me too! I have a really (really!) fat kabocha that could use a hug!
Heather says
I finally found some coconut butter – one lonely jar – at Central Market the other day so I have been really enjoying that. Last night I mixed some melted coconut butter with WF 365 chocolate protein powder and pressed it into an ice cube tray. The result came out really tasty!
Ann Claire says
Your stir fry looks delicious. It has all my favorite veggies!
Best thing eaten in the last 24 hours: pumpkin chocolate chip pecan pancakes topped with coconut butter….so good.
Hmm maybe hug a squash? or hug a protein?
Quix says
Oh man, backwards day sounds so FUN! My parents were never that cool hehe.
Sadly, I haven’t eaten anything that cool in the last 24. I did really love the honeycrisp apple I just had though! Never had one before Texas… so so so so so good!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I don’t know that I’ve ever had one of those either!
Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) says
the melties look great!!
Best thing ive eaten is the Vegan GF Rice Krispie treats with Chocolate Coconut Oil Peanut Butter Frosting I made to top them with it…just posted about them…super good if i do say so myself 🙂
Have a great week hon!!
Ilana says
I’m pretty much on a lifelong ban from buying things like, oh, chocolate nut butter. Why? Well, I’ve purchased Justin’s Hazelnut twice…and neither lasted longer than 36 hours. Me+spoon=facefirst into a jar. Whaaaattt. So gross (and so good).
But it looks delish!
Best thing I’ve eaten, vegan french toast with homemade vegan challah! Yay!
(ps – I moved sites, thought I’d give you the heads up since I somehow locked myself out of my HHH admin panel and am still figuring out how to get back … lol I’m just as tech savvy as you!!)
mwa!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I’m emailing you. Let me know if you didn’t get it!
Tricia says
Yes 😛 i love that chocolate peanut butter stuff, but the best thing i had in the last 24 hours was cashews because i love cashews. They’re the best nut ever 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Haha agreed! 🙂
Caitlin says
A burrito! I was craving Mexican food (always am), but have heard iffy things about the Mexican food in NY. I decided to make the burrito myself and it turned out SO much better than I expected.
Is that straight frozen chocolate-peanut-butter? That sounds like the best Reese’s ever, but better.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Yes lol. No use putting anything else in there as filler… it’ll just stand between my mouth and the pb it so obviously wants to eat ;).
A Teenage Gourmet says
Hug who you love month!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Aw, that’s seriously a beautiful idea! I’ll have to keep it in mind for future months :).
Julia says
I’ve been reading your blog for a while but decided it was time to comment, finally. The best thing I’ve eated in the past 24 hours? RIGHT NOW (haha) I’m finishing my last bite of banana slices topped with cashew butter, raisins, and chocolate chips. Awesome way to end the day.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Hi Julia!!
*Waves like a crazy girl* 🙂
Amber Shea @Almost Vegan says
Any “excuse” to eat more PB is good for me…so PB melties it is!
So when I eat PB straight from the jar, I’m really just eating a deconstructed PB meltie, right? 😛
BroccoliHut says
I just finished a bowl of peanut butter chili, and it was pretty awesome.
Can’t wait to see what the next monthly theme is!
seemichellecook says
Hug a Kabocha? I’m hugging one right now
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Me too! Err, well I have some in the fridge to hug. Does that count? 😉
kristisn says
The best thing that I’ve had in the past 24 hours is the acorn squash I made last night. This was my first time eating it, and I was so impressed!
Moni'sMeals says
Your dinner looks amazing. I am going to try that out…
Best thing I ate in 24 hours is hands down my Pumpkin Bars I made over the weekend. 🙂
Her says
hey can you delete above comment PLEASEEE; broken link
juliakatz1996 says
Do living cats count?