Prunes with Peanut Butter

Have you ever had prunes with peanut butter?  Dried prunes or dried plums are used in many sweet and savory dishes. Even at home here in Trinidad and Tobago, they are popular. Beside soaking them with other fruits for our black cakes, we like to stuff them with peanut butter and serve them as hor d'oeuvres in weddings and parties. But before we get to the prune recipe let us look at the many other reasons why this fruit is so popular.

The Marvels of Prunes

Most people know that dried prunes are good to relieve constipation because it contains a natural laxative called dihydrophenylisatin. However, you will get better relief from warm prune juice. In China, a traditional beverage made from sour plums called Suan mei tang, is consumed generally around the summertime to relieve the heat. Additionally, this drink is good for improving the digestive system and releasing the build up of lactic acid in the body.

There are many other health benefits of prunes. One serving (5 dried plums) has 3 grams of fiber, 293 mg of potassium, 16 mg of magnesium, and are rich in phenolic compounds. Yet the one serving comes up less than 100 calories. Dried plums has also been known to help manage weight because it suppresses the appetite. It can also help promote heart health (it reduces LDL cholesterol) and bone health ( it stimulates bone formations).

Dried Prunes with Peanut Butter

Now, add peanut butter to this dried wonder fruit and you have another match made in heaven and, of course, a satisfied guest.  However, after understanding these facts, I don't think the wedding planners used the dried prunes with peanut butter purposely for these health benefits. Somehow I feel that caterers know (consciously or subconsciously) that these little convenient and economical delectables would be ideal for those greedy guests lol! Remember it suppresses the appetite so they serve them early before the main course.

A smart move on the part of the caterers I would add, knowing that Trini weddings always have “stormers” who come to the wedding with “dey belly in dey hand” ready to “eat yuh out” lol!…So next time you go to a Trini wedding and they offer you some prunes with peanut butter remember what you just learnt; laugh to yourself about the “stormers” and then have about two….only two …

leave room for main course and dessert 🙂

Enjoy prunes with peanut butter.

Prunes with Peanut Butter

PRUNES WITH PEANUT BUTTER

Ingredients:

300 g seedless prunes
approx 120 g peanut butter*
toothpicks

Direction:

*As you would notice in the pictures we bought a small container of peanut butter 250g but in making the prunes with peanut butter recipe we used only about half of the container.

Stuff each prunes with about one teaspoon of peanut butter.

Stick a toothpick in each stuffed prune.

Dried plums resists spoilage so no refrigeration is required before serving.
Perhaps another reason why caterers like to make these!

So we have come to yet another simple recipe from my Trini kitchen. More recipes to come.  If you want to join in the fun and get to know about me a little more I invite you to join my fanpage and send a friend request.   Don't forget to leave your comments about this recipe, prunes with peanut butter, in the comment box below.