Scrumptious side dish, it sounds nutty good

(NAPSI) — Imagine this: A few small bites a day can help you manage your weight and reduce your risk of diabetes, gallstones, heart disease and cancer. It’s not some new miracle drug, it’s that long-time favorite of kids and adults alike — the peanut. You may want to try this simple, scrumptious side dish for your next Sunday dinner.

Peanuts are a superfood because just a small handful delivers 19 vitamins and minerals that contribute to your overall good health. Large population studies show that small amounts of peanuts and peanut butter in your daily diet can help reduce the chances of developing a chronic disease.

There is more good news. If you don't suffer from nut allergies, peanuts are both tasty, versatile and you can enjoy them in a variety of delicious dishes that are easy enough to make.

You'll need about two hours to throw this together so plan accordingly and enjoy eating your way to better health.

Peanut Butter Sweet Potato Casserole with Peanut Streusel Topping

Prep time: 25
Cook time: 1 hour 30 mins
Total: 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings: 10

For the sweet potatoes:

3 pounds sweet potatoes
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
¾ cup low fat milk
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup peanut flour or powder

For the topping:

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup finely chopped roasted, salted peanuts

Preheat the oven to 425°F and wash the sweet potatoes. Lightly prick the skin of each potato with a fork and place it on a baking sheet. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are tender and cooked through. Allow to cool then peel. 

Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly spray a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. 

Place the peeled sweet potatoes in a large bowl and mash well. Add the sugar, vanilla, eggs, milk, peanut butter, and peanut flour/powder and mix until smooth. Spread evenly into the prepared baking dish. 

To make the streusel, combine the melted peanut butter, brown sugar, and all-purpose flour in a small bowl. Press the mixture together using the back of a spoon. Keep pressing and mixing until the mixture is combined and crumbly. Add the peanuts and mix well. Sprinkle the topping over the sweet potato filling and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the center is mostly set. Serve hot. 

Per Serving: 363 calories, 10.7 g fat, 2.1 g saturated fat, 38 mg cholesterol, 141 mg sodium, 60 g carbohydrate, 7.7 g fiber, 18.1 g sugar, 10.6 g protein, 65% vitamin D, 5% calcium, 12% iron, 27% potassium.

For more recipes plus facts about how peanuts can help your short- and long-term health, from the experts at The Peanut Institute, visit https://peanut-institute.com/recipes/.

Doritos are Illinois' favorite game-day snack

The Big Ten Conference championship Fighting Illini will open their 2021 NCAA tournament play on Friday, March 19, against the Dragons of Drexel, winners of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament. Illinois, third in the nation in rebounds, will tipoff at 1:15pm at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis.

Photo courtesy of Shipt

Like college basketball fans across the country, Illini fans watching the game and other teams play over the next week will need game day snacks. Shipt is one of many companies around the country that will deliver fans their favorite foods just in time for game day.

"Knowing that many fans won't be traveling to stadiums, bars or restaurants to watch games this year, we wanted to offer up a solution to get them their favorite foods come tournament time," said Rina Hurst, Chief Business Officer at Shipt. "One of the advantages to using Shipt for your game day snacks is that you don't need to get off the couch to do so, which is great considering there is nonstop basketball in the coming weeks!"

Illini fans across the country can use Shipt to get their favorite snacks delivered to their door throughout the entire tournament. The delivery service has a number of retail partners such as Meijer, H-E-B, Winn Dixie, Target, Dierbergs, and Kroger, and offers same-day delivery in as soon as one hour through its network of trusted personal shoppers.

Shipt and Kellogg's are offering an exclusive deal to all existing and new customers. Fans who spend $15 on select Kellogg's products through Shipt.com or the app will receive a $3 credit towards their next Shipt order. The offer is valid through the app until March 29.

According to a recent press release, Shipt provides personal shopping and delivery and is available to 80% of households in more than 5,000 U.S. cities.

"Shipt Shoppers go above and beyond, communicating in real time about preferences and substitutions," the company says. "A curated marketplace of retailers, Shipt offers access to a variety of stores and product categories including fresh foods, household essentials, wellness products, office and pet supplies. Shipt is an independently operated, wholly owned subsidiary of Target Corp."

During last year's college basketball season, the company's data points to clear favorites when it came to snack preferences for basketball fans. Shipt's delivered more than 231,000 bags of Doritos, 136,000 boxes of Cheez-Its, 133,000 bags of Goldfish and 107,000 bags of Tostitos.

Like Indiana, home to some of the top snack aficionados last season ordering more than 13,000 bags of Doritos last year, Illinois residents are big on the same Frito-Lay snack, too. Around the rest of the Big10, the Buckeye State tends to be partial to Little Debbie Nutty Bars, a snack didn't even crack Michigan's top five most ordered.