We recently found out that Rowan is allergic to peanut butter. If I eat it, he gets a big stomachache and other, grosser side effects. This made me pretty sad, as peanut butter n jellies are my favorite snack!
I immediately began the search for an alternative. Almond butter was out of the question, as I have my own allergy to that. Pistachio butter and cashew butter sound awesome – but really expensive. That left few other tasty-sounding options—until I remembered seeing sunflower seed butter at Trader Joe’s. I normally would have run right out and bought it, but we have been trying to just hit one grocery store at a time instead of several (that’s one of the stupid parts about being vegan…there aren’t very many places that have everything you need at a good price).
So, I checked some recipes online and adapted them until I got this one that worked for us. It’s very good, but realize that it’s not peanut butter! If you go in with that expectation, you will be disappointed! But it is a very good nut butter!
Some recipes called for raw seeds. I used what I had and therefore didn’t need to add salt.
2 cups roasted, salted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup oil (plus about two tablespoons)
4 tablespoons agave nectar or other sweetener (sugar, maple syrup, etc. Liquid sweeteners work best).
Put seeds in food processor and turn on. Slowly add oil until you get the creamy consistency you are looking for – about 45 seconds (it will not be as smooth as peanut butter, but should get creamy). Add agave nectar and continue to blend for five more seconds. Remove from food processor and put in tupperware. Stir very well, as the sweetener might not be mixed in.
Enjoy!!
