1 minute Sunbutter in the Spice Grinder

I wanted to post a recipe showing off my what a simple spice/coffee grinder can do in the kitchen. Its been a miracle worker for me and I use it all of the time now. So I thought I would post a simple recipe for homemade roasted sunbutter to show you what it can do.

 

When I got my first high tech blender a couple of years ago, I was really excited to use it in the kitchen for projects. I made juices, smoothies, pastes, butters, sauces, you name it. However, I quickly learned that cleaning and storing the blender was a hassle in my tiny kitchen. So the frequency with which I used it dropped off pretty fast after I got it. I found myself pulling out my cheap $15 blender more often because it took up a lot less counter space even though it couldn't chop things up as finely. I also found out that I desired something that could make small batches of nutbutters and pastes since I didn't go through them very fast. So enter the spice grinder. 

Boy was I surprised.

Those cashew butters that took 15 minutes or more of blending could be made in less than one. I could make nutbutters by the spoonful, so the oils stayed fresh and didn't go rancid. I could grind up a cinnamon stick before adding the nuts and seeds for a fun new twist. Not to mention it is tiny and hardly requires any counter space or clean up. I really love it. 

I almost regret having my big fancy blender, because I manage to do most things with my 30$ coffee grinder and 15$ blender now. You don't need much money to eat well!

5 Minute Sunbutter

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Sun flower seeds (my spice grinder can only fill up to 1/4 cup, but making 1/2 cup means you don't have to go through this step next time you want fresh sunbutter!)
• 1 tsp sugar
• refined coconut oil (optional)
• whole spices (optional)

makes approximately 4 tbsp.

To begin, brown the sunflower seeds in a sauce pan (don't add oil!) over low-med heat. Stir frequently until they are brown to your liking. They usually start to smell really nutty and delicious when they are done browning (~5 minutes).

 

Next, add (optional: grind spices before the seeds and leave them in the blender) the sunflower seeds into the spice grinder and grind (I fill to the max line which is about 1/4 cup). The nuts will get roughly chopped up, then form a dry paste, and then a wet paste. It usually takes my grinder about 1 full minute to make a good texture.

 Add sugar as desired and blend to incorporate. If the paste is not as thin as you wanted it to be, you can add some coconut oil to make it more smooth. Enjoy on fresh fruit or by the spoonful!