Banana Nut Bread

This recipe is from the Joy of Baking. I don't have a "go-to" banana bread recipe. I really wanted that banana bundt, but it just takes too long to make. I really want a delicious, moist, easy, one-bowl banana bread recipe. Too much to ask? This takes 2 bowls, but it was fairly easy. A classic, no frills, BNB.

1 cup (115 grams) walnuts or pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped (optional)
1 3/4 cups (230 grams) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 ripe large bananas (approximately 1 pound or 454 grams), mashed well (about 1-1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place oven rack to middle position. Butter and flour (or spray with a non stick vegetable/flour spray) the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf pan. Set aside.

Place the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Let cool and then chop coarsely.

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nuts. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl combine the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, lightly fold the wet ingredients (banana mixture) into the dry ingredients just until combined and the batter is thick and chunky. (The important thing is not to over mix the batter. You do not want it smooth. Over mixing the batter will yield tough, rubbery bread.) Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake until bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool and then remove the bread from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature. This bread can be frozen.

Makes 1 - 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf.

I toasted the nuts while the oven was heating up. I didn't let them cool. Overall, it's a good banana nut bread, basic recipe, and I'd make it again.

Original recipe source: http://www.joyofbaking.com/breakfast/BananaBread.html

Pesto Butter

There's a reason why the French have Mise en place. I jumped ahead on making a Banana Bundt and started beating the stick of butter. I went to go get the sugar to cream with it, and alas, I didn't have enough sugar. So in went about a tablespoon of prepared pesto, and voila! Pesto butter.  It will be delicious tomorrow on fresh baked bread.  Those overripe bananas have survived another day.

Pictures of Food: Asian Shrimp Glass Noodle Salad

I don't remember this one at all. It looks like my typical Asian salad with shrimp and glass noodles.

Pictures of Food: Calzone

I've been slowly cleaning out my picture files and ran across really old pictures of food that I never wrote the recipes.

These are for a calzone. I don't remember what is in it, but it pretty much anything I would put on a veggie pizza, add a little ricotta cheese, and fold the dough over. Pinch corners to seal.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos

I had an idea to make veggie tacos, but wanted sweet potato. I decided to try black bean and sweet potato burritos instead. I looked online, and most of the recipes I found had you make a mush of the beans and sweet potatoes (like refried bean consistency), but I wanted chunky. A lot of recipes had you roasting the sweet potato, but that would take too long. Here's what I did:

1 Sweet Potato, chopped into little chunks (about 1/2 inch cubes)

2/3 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

Olive Oil

1 can black beans, drained

Cumin to taste (about 1 teaspoon or more)

Granulated garlic to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Whole wheat tortillas

Feta cheese, spinach, chopped avocado, sour cream for topping

Saute sweet potato in a tablespoon of olive oil. When it starts to soften, add onion and bell pepper. Add more oil if needed.

Once everything is evenly cooked and starting to brown, add can of drained black beans (I didn't rinse, just drained off excess liquid) and seasonings. Stir to combine and cook another 2 minutes or so, until beans are warmed.

Serve in tortilla and top with Feta cheese, spinach, chopped avocado, and sour cream.

I added a little too much cumin (probably over 2 teaspoons), but it was still pretty good. Maybe a little bit of fresh chopped jalapeno would be a nice addition. And I should have added some nutmeg!

Okay, now I know this photo isn't going to make you want to try it - it's not very food stylish, but it was hard to take a picture to get the full effect. Maybe next time I'll revise it a bit, and try to get a pretty shot.

I chopped up the spinach on Brian's, but I got lazy on mine.

Pumpkin Pancakes

I was ready to make a super easy Halloween brunch with my Pumpkin Waffle recipe. My plans were thwarted when I looked in the cupboard and realized we had no Krusteaz! A couple weeks ago, made pumpkin pancakes from a recipe I found on the internet and they were good, but I couldn't remember the site. I found a recipe on AllRecipes and gave it a shot. I altered it just slightly.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in a separate bowl. Stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine. Allow batter to rest for a few minutes before cooking.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

They were dense, not light and fluffy. Still pretty delicious - but don't really be tempted to cook them until brown, just make sure the batter is set on the inside and that is how they are best (otherwise, they get a little tough on the bottom).

Rosemary Almonds

When we lived in the apartment, my mother snipped a bit off her rosemary plant and put it in a pot for me. We had it on the balcony of apartment, but it always looked like the sad little dried out sprig. When we moved into the house, i planted it in the front bed. It just exploded into this massive thing, happily living alongside prickly pear, yucca, red sage, and blue agave. Any time of of the year you can go and snip a little and have wonderful fragrant fish, potatoes, or almonds.

• Heat a skillet to medium heat.
• Add a teaspoon of olive oil - swirl around.
• Dump in about 3/4 a cup almonds. Stir around to coat with olive oil. Keep stirring for a minute or so.
• Add 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary.
• Stir, stir stir, a couple minutes until it begins to brown. Watch it very closely so it doesn't burn.
• Transfer to a bowl.
• Add salt (in this case it was Pink Himalayan salt).
• Allow to cool for a few minutes.

These are super easy and addictive. I make them when we have a cheese board or fondue for dinner, or they are great with cocktails.