2015 is the year I’m going to buy less/make more.  From my clothes to my food and everything in between (OK, so I can’t even hem a pair of pants let alone make my own clothes, but I’ll be buying second hand or from sharing communities as much as possible).  If I do buy something new, then it’s a strict ‘one in, one out’ rule.

Part of this resolution is to make better use of my Vitamix.

I’ve had it for a few years now and I’ve been so cross with myself for not getting used to using it to it’s amazing capabilities.  For some reason, making peanut butter in it had always scared me.  Perhaps it was fear of burning out the motor (the machine works so fast that it takes a while not to over blend things!), or that the large jug would make it difficult to get all the peanut butter out.  Silly reasons really.  But, I’ve been making so many raw/vegan goodies that buying peanut butter was getting ridiculous, so I decided to take the plunge!

I am SO glad I did.

Armed with about 5 million views of You Tube videos I set to work.

Ingredients:

3 cups of the best quality raw peanuts you can afford – I used Australian raw peanuts with their skins on.

Lovely sea salt or Himalayan Pink Salt

Oil – optional – I like a smooth, almost runny PB, so I used about 2T of macadamia oil in my butter and a little tossed through the nuts prior to roasting.

Method:

In a bowl, coat the nuts in a little oil and sprinkle with salt.

Roast in a moderate oven for about 30 minutes until fragrant.

Pour into the Vitamix (or high speed food processor, or a domestic blender with a strong motor; a lot of the newer models should handle it OK but you may need to add some extra oil to get things moving).

For a Vitamix, set the dial to 1, then switch on the machine, tamping the peanuts onto the blade as you increase the speed to 10, then flip to high. Process for about 1 minute (adding a little extra oil if need be) until you hear the sound of the motor change.  The PB should be looking smooth.  Switch off.

If you want it to have some crunch, stir through some crushed peanuts.

Pour into jars and keep in the fridge.

This works well with any nuts and my new obsession is making almond butter using the same method. A few slices of sweet red apple, dipped into fresh almond butter is a match made in heaven!

*recipe qty’s taken from the Vitamix original recipe.
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