Banana Nut Muffins with Oatmeal Streusel

I must admit -- I love just ripe bananas and really over-ripe bananas.  I'm not a big fan of the in-between.  I love black, very ripe bananas, because they are perfect for muffins, bread, smoothies, etc.  Yesterday, I tried a new recipe from my Cooking Light cookbook.  It was too good not to pass along ...

Ingredients

Muffins:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup mashed ripe banana (approx. 2 bananas)

3/4 cup low-fat milk

3 T canola oil (I used veggie oil)

1/2 tsp vanilla 

1 large egg

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (I left out this time)

Streusel:

6 T regular oats

5 T flour

2 T brown sugar

2 T butter, softened

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375

To prepare the muffins, combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.  Combine banana and next 4 ingredients (through egg) in a bowl; stir well.  Add to flour mixture.  Stir just until moistened; fold in walnuts.  Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups.  (Side note: Lately I've been decided not to use cup liners and have just sprayed the muffin tin with Pam-- saves paper and works just as well.)

To prepare streusel, combine oats and remaining ingredients in a small bowl.  Blend with a pastry blender (I used a fork) until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Sprinkle streusel over batter.  Bake at 375 for 22 minutes or until wooden pick inserted comes out clean.

Something a little different...

You know you're a full fledged mommy when you've been asked for your first time to "bake goodies" for the preschool carnival. For such a right of passage, I was compelled to find a recipe for something that would be unique, but would still sell at the bake sale. I was pretty proud of this creation, which I saw in a magazine. Use your favorite rice crispy treat recipe. Let the mixture slightly cool, then roll the it with your greased hands into rolls. Then use gummy fish and strips of green fruit roll ups. Bound to be a hit with kids and sushi-lovers!

Pork Pozole

I love slow cooker recipes. I found this one in Parents magazine, which means it's very easy. It is essentially a Mexican stew. It has some interesting ingredients and Jeff is a huge fan.

1 15 oz. can yellow or white hominy, drained

1 14.5 oz. can Mexican-style diced tomatoes (I actually used tomato sauce and added some taco seasoning)

1 10 oz. can mild green enchilada sauce

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

 2 tsp. ground cumin

1.5 lbs. boneless pork loin

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 t. lime juice

Tortilla chips

Diced avocado and lime wedges, optional

1. Combine the hominy, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, garlic, and cumin in a 4 quart slow cooker. Top with pork, spooning hominy mixture over the meat. Cover and cook on hight for 2 to 2.5 hours. 

2. Place pork on a cutting board. Add cilantro and lime juice to the slow cooker. Coarsely chop pork; return to cooker, and stir well. Spoon into shallow bowls. Serve with tortilla chips, and if your family is a fan of avocado and lime, include them too. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition per serving: 332 cal; 29g protein; 9g fat; 31g carb; 461mg sodium; 5g fiber

Blueberry Bran Muffins

Blueberry Bran Muffins:
1 c. white flour
1/3 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. wheat bran
1/3 c. plus 1 T. brown sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. cinnamon
1 egg( separate the yolk and white and beat the white till fluffy with a fork)
1/4 c. molasses
1 t. vanilla
2 T. canola oil
1 c. buttermilk
1 c. blueberries, fresh or frozen

1. preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a twelve cup muffin tin with paper liners.
2. mix wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls.
3. stir dry ingredients into wet just till moistened then fold in the blueberries, stirring as little as possible.
4. spoon batter into muffin cups and bake for 18 - 20 min. (test with tooth pick and do not over bake)
5. cool on wire wrack. ( Or cool in the microwave to keep them moist. My sister did this when we were younger to keep the muffins moist or to soften muffins that had been over baked in the first place.)

I got this recipe from joyofbaking.com ,a website that Austin found for me.
After making the orange flax bran muffins I wanted more so have been looking up other bran muffin recipes. I made these yesterday and can't stop eating them! They also smell soooo good when baking!
Next week I am making Banana Oat Bran Muffins and if they are good I will post that recipe too!
I am getting good at typing one handed while nursing Alyce. :)

Honey Curry Baked Chicken

3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized chunks

1 stick of butter 

1/2 c. honey

2 T. prepared mustard

1 t. salt

1-2 T. curry powder

Chopped peanuts and sweetened coconut flakes for garnish

White sticky rice ( a 2 cups of uncooked rice batch)

Place chicken in a 13x9 in. baking dish.

Melt butter and mix in rest of ingredients.

Pour sauce sauce over chicken.

Cover pan with foil and bake 1 1/4 hours at 350.

Remove from oven and stir to brake apart chicken chunks.

Serve over sticky white rice.

This recipe is from my Aunt and she says she puts the rice on a big platter  and puts the chicken and sauce on top and serves it that way. The sauce looks runny but when it soaks into the rice it is perfect! We really liked this dish!

When I made this I cut the recipe in half and it made 3 healthy (generous ) servings.

Garnish with chopped peanuts and coconut flakes.

To balance the cake...bran muffins!

About a month ago I purchased "Super Foods RX." I have really enjoyed trying to implement the super foods. I have always told Andrea that I am looking for a good breakfast "cookie" - well this bran muffin comes pretty close (I don't have time to eat breakfast at home so I always need something that I can take "to go"). I make two dozen and then freeze them in batches of six - works great! I hope someone tries them and actually likes them :).

PS: Love all the new recipes - can't wait to go grocery shopping!

Orange Bran Flax Muffins
Yields 24 muffins

1 1/2 cups oat bran
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup ground flaxseed
1 cup natural bran
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 oranges, washed, quartered, and seeded
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 canola oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups raisins (can substituted white chocolate chips)

In a large bowl combine the oat bran, flour, flaxseed, natural bran, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a blender or food processor, combine the oranges, brown sugar, buttermilk, canola oil, eggs and baking soda. Blend well. Pour the orange mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix until well blended. Stir in the raisins. Fill paper lined muffin tins almost to the top. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Cool in tins 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

Chocolate Stout Cake

Alright (sorry about my foodie friends absence), I made this last year for St. Patrick's Day weekend and it is pretty amazing. It was requested again this year by my in-laws. Last year I was a little wimpy and just made a sheet cake, but this year I went big and made my first three layer cake. I know it is a little industrious but well worth it! It to is from Epicurous (after you look at the ingredients you'll know why I only make it once a year).

Cake
2 cups stout (such as Guinness)
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
4 cups all purpose flour
4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups sour cream

Icing
2 cups whipping cream
1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line with parchment paper. Butter paper. Bring 2 cups stout and 2 cups butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cakes to rack; cool 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack and cool completely.

For icing:
Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Refrigerate until icing is spreadable, stirring frequently, about 2 hours.
Place 1 cake layer on plate. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with second cake layer. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake.

Ginger Chicken and Sesame Rice

After a rather scary piece of crystalized ginger at a shady Chinese buffet last year, I was certain that I did not like ginger. Wrong. It is quite tasty in the right circumstances, such as the following recipe.

Ginger Chicken with Snow Pea Salad (from the South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Meals cookbook)
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes
1 pound snow peas, strings removed
1 T plus 2 t canola oil, divided
1 T plus 1 t low-sodium soy sauce, divided
1 T minced fresh ginger
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 scallions, sliced
2 t dark sesame oil

Combine 2 teaspoons of the canola oil, 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, and ginger in a shallow bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat.

Heat remaining canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden and no longer pink inside, 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and slice.

Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. While chicken is cooking, boil snow peas for 2 minutes and drain.

Combine snow peas, scallions, sesame oil, and remaining 1 teaspoon of soy sauce in a mixing bowl; toss together. Serve pea salad with chicken.

Note: I usually just add the chicken to the bowl of peas, etc., toss it all up, and serve from there. Also, last time I made it I scrambling 2 eggs with a dash of soy sauce and added it to the final product. Delicious!

Sesame Brown Rice (from the William-Sonoma Essentials of Healthful Cooking book)
1 cup medium-grain brown rice
Kosher salt
2 t sesame seeds
1 t Asian sesame oil
1 T thinly sliced green onion tops

In a saucepan over high heat, bring 2 3/4 cups water to a boil. Add the rice and 1/2 teaspoon salt, stir once, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook, without stirring, until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender, 35-45 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small, dry frying pan over medium heat, toast the sesame seeds until they are fragrant and have taken on color, about 2 minutes. Pour the seeds onto a plate and set aside.

Carefully lift the cover of the saucepan so that no condensation drips into the rice. Drizzle the sesame oil evenly over the top and sprinkle on half of the sesame seeds. Gently fluff the rice with a chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon.

Spoon the rice into a warmed serving dish. Sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds and the green onion and serve at once.

Cuban-Style Grilled Flank Steak

For Telfer. And any other grill-masters on this list.

2 pounds flank steak
3 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T cumin
2 T grill seasoning
1 lime
1 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced

Put the flank steak in a shallow dish and drizzle with 2 T extra-virgin olive oil to coat. Mix grill seasoning with cumin in a small dish; add the zest of the lime and mix together with your fingers. Rub the mixture over the steak evenly.

Grill the steak on a hot grill or grill pan and cook 4-5 minutes for medium rare, 10 minutes for medium well. Turn and cook an additional 3 minutes for medium rare, 5-7 for medium well. Remove from heat and let sit five minutes to allow juices to redistribute.

While steak is grilling, saute sliced onions in a skillet with 1 T extra-virgin olive oil.

Very thinly slice the cooked steak on an angle, working against the grain, and pile meat onto a serving platter. Cut the lime that you zested into wedges and squeeze the juice over the meat, then top with the sauteed onions. Serve with rice and black beans, if desired.

Note: While the flank steak is superb and my favorite, this recipe also works for chicken and, for those veggie lovers out there, grilled portabello mushrooms (if you eat that kind of gross thing...). Also, we have started grilling up some peppers and cherry tomatoes with the onions and serving the whole slew of veggies over the meat. Delicious.

Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray. Again.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

1 cup chunky salsa

1 small can chopped green chillies (4 oz)

2 teaspoons chilli powder

2 cups chopped,cooked chicken or turkey

1 cup grated monteray jack cheese

1 cup grated sharp chedder cheese

8-10 fajita sized flour 

Mix soup,sour cream,salsa,green chillies and chilli powder.

Mix 1 cup of sauce mixture with chicken and about half of the cheese.

Spread a layer of sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9 in. pan.

Spread 1/4 cup or more of the chicken mixture down the middle of each tortilla and place seam down in pan.

Spread remaining sauce on top and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.

Cover with tin foil and bake @ 350 for 40 minutes or till hot and bubbly.

Cool a few minutes to thicken and serve with rice and sprinkle with chopped tomato and green onion if desired.

These are the yummiest enchiladas ever! I found the recipe at the campbells soup kitchen website and after reading a bunch of raving reviews I tried it and have made it several times! It doesn't taste like canned soup at all and  Austin really likes it! (which is the only reason I ever make anything twice!:)

This is the first time I've ever posted anything so I hope it works!:) 

Weekend with the Girls

RaChelle asked me for two recipes that I made when they were down earlier this month and I thought I should post them on Foodie Friends....because I am a slacker. I love fritattas a lot - they are easy and fun to make and you can just put almost anything in them. Oh, and both recipes are from Epicurious.

Leek and Asparagus Frittata
Ingredients
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 cup chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only)
1 12-ounce bunch thin asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 cup sliced stemmed shiitake mushrooms
8 large omega-3 eggs
1 cup diced Fontina cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation
Preheat broiler. Melt butter in heavy broilerproof 10-inch-diameter nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and sauté 4 minutes. Add asparagus and shiitake mushrooms, sprinkle lightly with salt, and sauté until tender, about 6 minutes. Whisk eggs, 3/4 cup Fontina cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in medium bowl. Add egg mixture to skillet; fold gently to combine. Cook until almost set. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup Fontina cheese and Parmesan cheese over. Broil until frittata is puffed and cheese begins to turn golden, about 3 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

Notes: I hate mushrooms, so I left those out. I also added a bit of smoked salmon to about 2/3 of the fritatta - just dropped them on top - some of our group likes salmon and some don't.

Cinnamon Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups blueberries (7 1/2 oz)

Special equipment: a muffin pan with 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups; 12 foil or paper muffin liners

Preparation
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Put liners in muffin cups.

Whisk together butter, brown sugar, milk, and egg in a bowl until combined well. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Add milk mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in blueberries gently.

Divide batter among muffin cups and bake until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

Notes: these are my favorite muffins of all time.

Shaker Chicken and Noodle Soup

My mom and I made a double recipe of this soup over Christmas. We feed 8 people and had leftovers for later. It is quite the comfort soup.

Shaker Chicken and Noodle Soup
From: Carolyn (Mom) Marble Serves: 4

7 cups chicken stock
2 T dry vermouth
2 T butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 oz medium egg noodles -- we find these in the freezer section
6 T flour
2/3 cups water
1 cup diced cooked chicken

Combine 1 cup stock, vermouth, butter. Bring to boil and reduce to 1/4 cup. Stir in cream. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat remaining stock to boil. Add noodles, cook just until tender. Blend flour with water until smooth. Add to noodles/stock and stir. Boil 1-2 minutes.

Add cream mixture and chicken. Season to taste (my mom prefers white pepper, as the dish is mono-color) and serve.

Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies

I'm trying to cook more and bake less in 2008-- but it doesn't mean I can't share one of my favorite cookie recipes . I have no self-control when it comes to these cookies.

Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, softened
1- 3 oz pkg cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 T grated lemon rind
1 egg
1 T lemon juice
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder

Blend ingredients. Shape into small balls (approx. 1 in) and place on baking sheet. Flatten with glass dipped in flour. Bake 8-10 mins. Do not overbake. Frosh while warm with glaze.

Glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 3-4 tsp milk until smooth. (You can use less milk and more lemon juice).

Indian Spiced Chickpea and Fire Roasted Tomato Soup

At the risk of being the nerdy one who posts twice in a row, here we go. It's soup season (we're ignoring the fact that it was so warm here today that I went running outside. In shorts. And a tank top.), and I recently discovered a real winner. This soup is simple, warm, delicious, and healthy, and (because this is the true test of a great soup) even better the next day. I made it last week and took the last tiny bit to work today--my colleague finally asked for the recipe, since I was mmming and ahhhing so much.

This is straight from Rachael Ray, and it goes along with a pretty good Indian lamb chop dish, but the soup was the real winner. I have done a half batch for the two of us, and it yields just enough for one round of leftovers apiece.

Serves 4 as a first course
Ingredients:
1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cans chickpeas, drained
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
2 t ground cumin
1/2 t ground cardamom
1/2 t turmeric
salt and pepper
2 c chicken of vegetable stock
1 (28-oz) can fire roasted tomatoes*
1 cup plain yogurt
Warm pita, any flavor or variety, toasted

*note about the tomatoes: on the show, Rachael used crushed fire roasted tomatoes, but at my store they only sell diced fire roasted tomatoes (which are actually a new addition to the tomato aisle, thank goodness). I just popped them in the food processor for a couple seconds once I was done with the chickpeas and it comes out splendidly.

1. Heat a medium pot with the extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Grind the chickpeas and onion in food processor. Add to pot and cook 5 minutes to sweeten onion.

3. Season the chickpeas with cumin, cardamom, turmeric, salt and pepper. Stir in stock, then tomatoes.

4. Simmer soup 5-10 minutes to combine flavors. Serve with a dollop of yogurt and warm pita for dipping.

There you go! It's, like, 5 minutes of active cooking (unless you have a crappy food processor that requires babysitting...how old does it make me to want a new food processor for my birthday?). Seriously, just typing this up makes me want to go make a batch. Yum!

On another note, Marbs, we had your chicken couscous recipe again last week, and it was even better the second time!