Yuck! Orange Peanut Butter??

After driving 2.5 hours up to the north end of the island recently, to show a home up in Hawi, Jason and I made a swing back by Costco before heading home to East Hawaii. 

The home, by the way, has a spectacular view of Maui’s north shore across the channel, only taking up a portion of an otherwise blue ocean vista.  It sits on almost 3.5 acres, has a nice pool, and the home itself uses many recycled, beautiful and rustic woods from nearby century-old water tanks, and even barn siding from the mainland.  The eclectic combination of various woods is truly gorgeous.  If you remember fondly the home in the original Parent Trap movie, in the California foothills, you’d feel at home at this place.  Let us know if you’d like more information about it.

But, back to Orange Peanut Butter.  What the heck?

I enjoy a couple of dietary supplements for their purported healthy effects.  Whether they actually are effective or not – well, maybe it’s like wishcraft, or the placebo effect, but I think I’m better for them.

One of those is turmeric, or Curcuma domestica.  It’s purported to be a powerful, natural anti-inflammatory.  Good for reducing the body’s response to certain conditions.  That orange powder, ground from the root of the plant of the same name and having many other medicinal uses. 

I had a guy inject himself into a conversation I was having recently, having overheard me pronounce it TOO-mer-ick.  Imagine learning after all these years that it’s TUR-mer-ick, and how offensive I’ve been to people it mattered to.  I could tell the fellow felt righteously vindicated when I admitted the spelling suggested he was correct.  Good job!

It is grown here in Hawaii, but not on a mass scale.  Believed to be brought with the earliest Polynesian explorers as they navigated the ocean to Hawaii, ‘olena is the Hawaiian name for turmeric. A pretty plant, that doesn’t often bloom.
But, back to Orange Peanut Butter, right?

Because it can be a bit of a, uh, caustic(?) flavor on its own, one that is most often used in Indian food as part of a blend of other spices, turmeric as a supplement typically comes in a capsule form so you can swallow it without gagging on its pure form.  Costco, always leading the trend, has supplied me my TUR-mer-ick supplements this way, but I discovered they now carry it in a full tub of loose powder.  But, how to get past the flavor if I’m not cooking up an Indian feast on a daily basis?

Peanut Butter.  Finally, we’re there.

Yup, I was just as surprised as you.  I figured I needed something I could consume almost daily, with it’s own potent flavor that wouldn’t be overpowered by turmeric.  So, here’s my recipe I call Golden Peanut Butter (because other health foodies clued me into Golden Tea and Coffee, using the powder):

Golden Peanut Butter
2 Tablespoons of peanut butter (smooth, or chunky)
2 teaspoons of honey
1 Tablespoon of turmeric powder

Place the ingredients into a small mixing or cereal bowl.  Combine with a fork till well blended.  Spread it over toast, toasted bagels, or toaster waffles.  Top with sliced bananas.  That’s. It.  I liked it!  I think you might too.

Adjust the flavors as you see fit.  And, then tell me what you think.  Offer your own suggestions for how to use turmeric powder without cooking (hint: Smoothies? Teas? Or, rice if you don’t mind light cooking?) 

​Looking forward to your ideas.

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