Life Is Peachy - Peach Recipes

In the tradition of having National days highlighting food, August 22nd is National Peach Day! This fruit that originated from China approximately 8,000 years ago is often used as conspicuous emoji, but it also has a lot of health benefits. 

Peaches have a lot of vitamins and minerals According to Healthline, one medium peach has 10 percent of your daily value of Vitamin A; 17 percent of your daily value of Vitamin C; 8 percent of your daily value of potassium; and 5 percent of your daily value of both Vitamins E and K. In addition to having two grams of fiber, peaches also have a smaller amount of magnesium, iron, phosphorus, and B vitamins. It also has a lot of antioxidants that “combat oxidative damage and help protect your body against disease and aging”. All in one peach! 

The best news is that both fresh and canned peaches have a similar amount of vitamins and minerals if the canned peaches are unpeeled. However, it is worth noting that fresh peaches have a higher amount of antioxidants than canned peaches. Plus, since this holiday takes place at the high of peach season. If you can, we recommend going down to a farmers market and picking up some fresh peaches.

Additionally regularly eating peaches may promote heart health and lessen the risk factors of heart disease; may improve your skin’s ability to retain moisture; may reduce the amount of histamines in blood which reduces allergy symptoms; and may help prevent high blood sugar levels. How cool is that?! 

Now, we here at Plant Based Planet have some recipes highlighting this famous fruit turned emoji. The first is my ginger and peach cobbler made using our new ginger peach biscuit dough as the crust (#howidough)! To make this refreshing, summer twist on a comforting classic, here is the recipe and instructions: 

Peach Cobbler with Ginger Peach Biscuit Crust Recipe 

Ingredients:  

15 Large Peaches (Peeled, Pitted, & Sliced Thick) 

1 Cup of Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks - Great for Baking! (Country Crock’s Avocado Plant Based Butter Works Too!) 

1 TBS of Pumpkin Spice (A bit more if you love this spice like I do!)

1 TBS of Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice 

2 TSP of Pink Himalayan Salt 

2 TSP of Pure Vanilla Exact 

1 Cup of Zulka’s Cane Sugar 

1 Cup of Zulka’s Brown Sugar

2 TBS of Cornstarch

4 TBS of Water

1 Container of Plant Based Planet’s Ginger Peach Biscuit Dough (Click the link to buy a container! Thank you for your flavor suggestion, Kate Brace! You and Your Idea’s Rock!)

Instructions: 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare your peaches then place in a large skillet then set aside. 
3. Make cornstarch slurry by combining the cornstarch and water and whisking it together then set aside. 
4. Add all ingredients minus the cornstarch slurry. Cook with lid on medium or number 4 heat level stirring often until the peaches are tender. 
5. Give your corn starch slurry another stirs then add it to the peaches and continue to stir and cook the peaches without the lid until the liquid thickens and bubbles up. Remove from heat and pour in 9 by 13 pan. Spread evenly. 
6. Using a small ice cream scooper scoop biscuit dough and place dollops of dough on top of the peach filling leaving bit of space between each dollop of dough as it will expand. 
7. Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.
   
8. Enjoy scoops of dairy free vanilla or vanilla bean ice cream on top!!! 

Now, you might be wondering why I would use biscuit dough in this recipe? It is actually no different from the enslaved African Americans would make according to Shaunda Necole from thesoulfoodpot.com (check out her amazing article here). They would use leftover biscuit dough and drop them over sliced peaches placed at the bottom of the pot. This dish not only helps to connect to the creativity and ingenuity of African American history, but also offers a fresh new perspective for the future. 

Peach Oat Smoothie 

Our second recipe is a Peach Oat Smoothie. This recipe was inspired by Minimalist Baker (click the link to check it out!), but we added a high protein twist to it. Our take on the smoothie has approximately 27 grams of protein that you can take on the go for a breakfast or snack that will fill you up! Here’s how to make it: 

Ingredients*: 

1 Large Peach (Quartered and Pits Removed)

0.5 TBS of Chia Seeds

0.25 Cup of Rolled Oats (can be made gluten-free)

1 Quarter of a Frozen Banana 

8 Fl Oz. of Peach Juice (organic, if possible. If you cannot find peach juice, try orange juice like the recipe recommends)

1 cup of Unsweetened Soy Milk 

1 scoop of your favorite Vegan Protein Powder (We recommend 42 grams of Vanilla Vegan TrueFit Protein Powder for 21 grams of protein)

*We also recommend putting a little sprinkle of cinnamon on top for a little sweetness. Cinnamon is also great for reducing inflammation. 

Instructions: 

1. Add all of the ingredients to a blender and leave aside for 5-10 minutes to let the oats and chia seeds soak. Blend and then immediately serve. To thicken the smoothie, you can add another frozen quarter of a banana. To make the smoothie thinner, you can add more Unsweetened Soy Milk or Peach Juice. 

If you decide to make either of these recipes, takes pictures and make a post on social media! Don’t forget to tag us on and use the hashtag #peachypbplanet. It would make our day! 

Until next time, keep things peachy on our plant based planet. 🍑