Flax-y Nut Butter Sandwiches

I have been getting creative with peanut butter ever since picking up Robin Robertson's new book Peanut Butter Planet. Check out this fun little cookbook for lots of great vegan comfort food dishes and of course, lots of great-looking desserts! I will admit that some of the dessert recipes could use a few healthier ingredients (powdered sugar, for one, I have an issue with). But all the recipes are vegan and sound delicious. Also, whenever olive oil is used, it is used by the tablespoon. Each recipe gives a nutritional analysis and the fat and calorie content of most of the dishes is rather high. To cut this down, I would use 1-2 teaspoons of oil instead of 1-2 tablespoons, or cut the oil out all together when possible.

So, here is my creative spin on peanut butter sandwiches. For each sammie, mix 1-2 tablespoons natural peanut butter or other nut butter with 2 teaspoons ground flax seeds. Chose from the following fillings, or make up your own: tomatoes, dark green lettuce, thinly sliced cucumber, natural/organic pickles, shredded carrot, black olives, raisins or raisin butter (simply soak raisins until moist and plump and then blend them with a little soak water in food processor or blender until smooth), sliced apple, sliced banana, sliced kiwi, sliced fresh strawberries, a drizzle of your favorite salad dressing (Italian would be good), etc. I like mixing the sweet and savory ingredients. Spread the nut butter/flax mixture on whole grain bread or wrap, stuff with your choice of fillings, and enjoy!

This makes a satisfying, nutritious, and filling lunch or dinner. You could even have it for breakfast! I even think kids would go for this because they get to chose the combination of fillings in their sandwich (lets just hope they chose at least one veggie!)

Photo credit: www.robinrobertson.com visit her website for great recipes from all her books, including this one!