Banana Nutella Bread

My sitter recently came over all excited about having eaten Nutella banana bread. She tried to find the recipe, but she had no luck so I decided to adapt my dad's recipe and it was a success!

Ingredients: 

1 1/4 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. butter, in pieces 
2 eggs (lightly beaten)
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup Nutella
1/2 c. chocolate chips (or both)
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions: 

1. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt in a mixing bowl.
2. Combine butter and the Nutella and microwave it for about 45 seconds. Stir together until it is smooth. (You might need more time in the microwave.) Add the Nutella and butter combo to the mixing bowl.
3. Add beaten eggs. Add mashed bananas. Mix together.
4. Add chocolate chips. (Tip: Don't overmix! If you overstir, you might find that the bread crashes in the middle while baking.)
5. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan.
6. Cook for about an hour at 375 degrees. Enjoy!

Banana Tip ... Use the brownest bananas you can find. If you have children and their eyes are bigger than their mouths, you might also end up with half bananas here or there. I usually put the bananas in the fridge in the hope that they will be eaten later for snack but if they turn too brown and become unappetizing, I put them in a freezer bag and toss it in the freezer to be used at a later date.

Chocolate Chip Tip ... Do you ever use chocolate chips and they either fall to the bottom of your bread or they melt into the bread and they no longer have their chip-like resemblance? To solve this problem, I keep the chips in the freezer while I am preparing the recipe. Just before I add them to my batter, I toss them in a little bit of whatever flour I used in the recipe and then I lightly mix them in. It usually works like magic to preserve the "chippiness" of the chips! Give it a try!

Purple Rice Cooker Sticky Rice

For many years, I never gave much of a thought to how rice was grown. When I did think about it, I imagined it growing white - the color of the rice usually found on my dinner plate. Oops. Wrong! Rice comes in a lot of colors, but white is surely not one of them.

My children are currently in love with the purple sticky rice we get from Clyde Valley Farm in Morganton, NC. The rice is milled when we order it and it is unpolished so it retains all the natural vitamins and minerals. Tonight I made a rather delicious Mexican Shepherd's Pie (I will have to blog about that recipe later!) and I cooked up some purple sticky rice to accompany it.

I was initially hesitant to buy a rice cooker because I like to have complete control over my rice. Some people have issues with cooking rice. I do not. Ever. Why mess with a good thing? With much hesitation, I gave in and let Santa Mimi buy me a rice cooker this past year. After consulting my fabulous foodie friends on Facebook, I knew I had to get a Zojirushi rice cooker. I researched and researched and finally settled on the 5 1/2 cup stainless steel rice cooker and I haven't been disappointed.

After I realized that I could combine my old school style of rice cooking - sauteeing the onions, garlic, etc. and toasting the rice grains in the oil before I add the water or broth - I could continue the preliminary steps and just add the rice to the rice cooker at the moment when I would normally add the water to the saucepan.

For this recipe, I sauteed up one large purple shallot and 4 cloves of garlic. I added about 1 cup (1 rice cooker cup!) of purple sticky rice and tossed it lightly in the oil. I removed the rice to the rice cooker and added enough broth to reach the 1 cup brown rice line on the rice cooker (about twice as much water as rice). I prepared the rice before the children got home from school and let it sit in the rice cooker until about an hour or so before dinner and then I selected the brown rice setting.

The result is absolutely delicious! Purple sticky rice!

Bratwurst, Kale, and White Bean Soup

As I mentioned earlier this week, I bought a pound of kale at one of my local farmers markets here in Charlotte and it has been used in many, many ways! Quite possibly the best $2 produce purchase ever. Kale has been referred to as "one of the best foods we never eat." Packed with vitamins and minerals, it receives limited fanfare in most kitchens. In fact, kale doesn't get to actually see the inside of many kitchens. I have heard people tell me that kale is bitter or tough. It doesn't have to be - try it again, taste test some different varieties and you might be surprised that kale isn't so bad after all!

Before the weather warms up I wanted to make a soup using some of my locally grown kale and potatoes with my favorite bratwurst from NC pastured pigs. If we are going to eat some pork around here we like it be pastured as close to our own backyard as possible. This soup recipe is soup-er easy. (That's probably only funny if you are five... my twins think I am a riot.)

Ingredients:
1/2 pound to 1 pound of bratwurst or your favorite sausage, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
About 1/2 pound of kale, chopped and tough stems removed
1 quart chicken broth
1 large potato, peeled and chopped
1 large can white beans, rinsed
Seasoned with ... salt, pepper, 2 bay leaves, and nutmeg

Directions:

Cook bratwurst until done. Set aside. Our bratwurst is rather lean so there is really a very small amount of residual fat left in the pan. I use that little bit of rendered fat to saute the onion and garlic for a minute or two. Add the kale, potato, and cooked sausage. Add the broth and seasonings. Stir well. Simmer on low to medium low for about 40 minutes. Add the beans and cook on low for another ten minutes. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato and Shallot Risotto

We haven't eaten risotto in ages! For awhile, I seemed to be in a risotto rut... every time I glanced at withering veggies in the crisper, I immediately thought, "Risotto!" Risotto is so easy because it really can be a one pot meal. Just about any vegetable you have on hand can be used in a risotto. I have no idea why there seems to be any drama surrounding the making of risotto - it's simple, I promise.

Aren't they cute? 

A few weeks ago, I ordered some adorable fingerling sweet potatoes from my "virtual farmers market" here in Charlotte and when they arrived, I couldn't wait to test them out. Sweet potatoes are one of those super-power veggies - full of fiber, beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium ... heart healthy, cancer fighting ... the sweet potato gets all the great labels!  I hadn't used the sweet potatoes yet and was looking for something easy to make for dinner ... sweet potato risotto!

Risotto requires very few ingredients ... arborio rice - it looks like plump little rice grains, broth, some olive oil, a little onions and garlic, and any vegetable you would like to add in... or no extra veggies at all.

Ready for the broth

Today I was running low on onions, so this became shallot and sweet potato risotto. Shallots are in the onion family. They are like a cross between onion and garlic - they are shaped onions, but are made up of large cloves - a little like garlic, they are also generally not very spicy and won't pack too much of a punch when you use it in food for little people. Saute your onions, garlic, shallots, etc. in a little bit of olive oil and butter in a large heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven until the shallots are translucent. If you are using a vegetable that takes a long time to cook - like a sweet potato - add that in before you add the rice. If you are using a vegetable that steams pretty easily - like a summer squash or spinach - add that in at the end.

I like to add the rice and stir it a few times to coat it well with the olive oil and butter. I like to use olive oil and butter together because it becomes nearly impossible to burn that combination if you turn your back on it for an extra second or two. After coating the rice in olive oil and butter and letting it cook for a minute or two, add in the broth - I add in 1 cup at a time and I always use twice the amount of broth as compared to the amount of rice. Today I used 1 1/2 cups of rice so I used three cups of broth.

Stir well after each addition of broth. After the broth has been absorbed into the rice, add the next cup. Some people say you must stir the risotto constantly. I assure you that I have not constantly stirred my risotto while making it for at least five 1/2 years. Other people say that you must use a wooden spoon to stir the risotto. Hmmm... I love to use a wooden spoon to make risotto, but I sometimes grab whatever is close by and tonight that was definitely something rubbery plastic.

Sweet Potato & Shallot Risotto

As you stir, you will notice the risotto take on a creamy consistency. You do not need to add any actual cream to your risotto although I like to add some shredded parmesan at the end before my final stir. Delicious.

Ingredients:

Olive oil and butter
2 large shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 pound to 1 pound sweet potato, chopped
3 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)
1/2 cup shredded parmesan

Directions: 

Saute shallots and garlic in olive oil and butter. Add the sweet potatoes - cook for a few minutes over medium heat. Add the rice. Add broth, 1 cup at a time, stir well to incorporate, keep the heat at about medium.

From the time you start adding the broth, it will take about 20 minutes until the risotto is ready.

Risotto is so filling that we usually serve this as our main meal with some fresh fruit or veggies on the side, but it is also great in small portions as a side dish or under a protein like fish or chicken or steak. Enjoy!

If the 6 month old is eating it, it must be delicious!

Quiche with Kale

My shirtless sous-chef

While I was at the farmers market last week, I bought about one pound of kale - for the grand total of $2. Wow do I love the farmers market! I had a nice chat with the farmer and my girls helped him bag up mustard greens and kale in large plastic shopping bags that we brought with us. That delicious kale has been used three times and counting! Kale is incredibly good for you and seems to go well in just about anything. As you can see from my son "helping" to prepare the kale by breaking the tough ends off the greens, it is even good raw.

For this quiche, I had 2 frozen pie crusts in the freezer that were begging to be used before they developed frostbite (can inanimate objects get frostbite?). My initial good intention was to make one for us and give one to a friend, alas, she did not return my brief text message: "Do u like quiche?" I took that as a sign I was meant to keep both.

There are different types of kale available but in February, in North Carolina, I will take whatever kind of fresh and local produce presents itself to me. The kale we bought was a gorgeous dark green color with tight, curly edges. My son's job was to snap off the tough ends although sometimes he said it was easier to tear the leaves off instead. We generally cook with clothes on in our house, but when your sous-chef works for free veggie tastings, one cannot be too picky.

This quiche was a huge hit. One of the best things about quiche is that it can be eaten at any meal and at any temperature. We ate one and kept the other in the fridge - tonight, since I had to work late, my babysitter popped out the 2nd quiche and served it to the kids with some fresh fruit. Easy peasy.

Ingredients: 

4 slices bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 pound of kale, stems removed, chopped

4 eggs
2 cups milk
1 to 2 cups of cheese, shredded

2 pie crusts

Directions:

Ready for the cheese and custard!

Fry the bacon in a deep pot until it is crisp. Remove to paper towels and set aside. You can remove some of the bacon fat if your bacon rendered a large amount of fat OR you can simply add the chopped onion and kale to whatever delicious fat remains in your dutch oven. Saute the onion and kale until it is tender. Split the kale, onion, and bacon between the two pie crusts.

Whisk together the four eggs and 2 cups of milk to make the custard. (I always use skim because it is only what we have in the house.)

Sprinkle cheese over the kale. You can use just about any cheese you have on hand. For this recipe, I used a little mozzarella and some three cheese Mexican blend. Pour the custard over the kale and cheese.

** If you are using deep dish pie pans, increase the milk to 2 1/2 cups and 5 eggs. If you keep the ratio of one egg to a 1/2 cup of milk, your quiche will always be perfect.

Who needs a fork?!?

Put the quiches into the oven at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 and cook for an additional 30 minutes. Enjoy!

"Walnut Joy" Fudge

One of my favorite candies is a Mounds Candy bar ... chocolate and coconut - a fabulous combination. I never really fell in love with the Almond Joy because I am not such a huge fan of almonds. However, if there were to be such a candy bar as the "Walnut Joy" I would certainly be eating those daily. For this fudge recipe, I decided to make my own version of a "Walnut Joy" - dark chocolate fudge with coconut and chopped walnuts. Delicious! Very rich, a little sticky, definitely sinful.

Ingredients:

12 ounces Hershey's Dark Chocolate Chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
About 4 ounces cream of coconut**
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Combine chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and cream of coconut in a large bowl. Microwave for about 2 minutes.  Stir well until smooth. Add shredded coconut and chopped nuts. Spread in a 9x9 pan lined with parchment paper and let chill for 2 or 3 hours. Turn the fudge upside down onto a cutting board, peel away the parchment paper and cut into squares. Store in the fridge after cutting. Enjoy!

** Cream of coconut is not the same thing as coconut milk! Cream of coconut is what you would use to make a pina colada! I found cream of coconut in the baking section of my grocery store but you also might find some in the international food aisle - Goya makes some.

Sweet Simmered Black Beans

My daughter's preschool class celebrated the Chinese New Year this past week - complete with songs and food, of course! New to me was a MOONCAKE - a traditional Chinese snack - it was like a doughy pocket filled with sweet black beans. I love all kinds of beans - I never met a bean I didn't like because they are versatile and so good for you! However, in spite of my love of beans, I really never thought about having sweet black beans. What a concept! I immediately came home and was pleased to find about a half pound of black beans sitting in the pantry just waiting to be sweetened...

Ingredients: 

1/2 lb. uncooked dried black beans
3 cups chicken or veggie stock (about)
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
About 1 tablespoon each of chile powder and cumin
1 tablespoon sea salt

Directions: 

1. Bring beans, broth, and onion to a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer and cover.

2. Simmer on the lowest heat possible for about 3 hours. Add more stock if necessary.  

3. Combine the brown sugar, molasses, and spices. Stir together and add to the beans. Simmer an additional hour or so on low until the beans are tender.

We served our sweet black beans with plain basmati rice and a delicious, slightly spicy, salmon! Yum!

Garlicky Carrot Hummus

When the spirit moves me, I make small batches of baby food to store in the freezer to use as needed. Yesterday, my son wanted carrots for his after-school snack - cooked carrots. Since I had a special request for cooked carrots, I decided to steam enough carrots to make baby food. After separating out enough for snack time, I pureed the rest of the carrots in the food processor with a little bit of water. The color was so amazing! I decided to divide my carrots - freeze half for the baby and use the other half in a hummus. 

For the hummus, I stuck with my go-to hummus recipe - chickpeas, tahini, olive oil. (And, of course, garlic.) Easy peasy.

Ingredients: 

About 1 cup steamed carrots

1 large can chick peas

2 tablespoons tahini 

About 1/4 cup olive oil

2 large cloves of garlic - finely diced and pressed with some coarse sea salt to make a paste

Paprika (About 1/2 to 1 teaspoon, more to sprinkle on top)

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients into a food processor. Blend. Taste test. Season as needed. We love our hummus garlicky - by mashing the garlic with the coarse sea salt, it helps take away any bitterness. 

 

The finished product... ready to be devoured!

Pulao (Indian Rice)

The other day my husband's coworker surprised us by bringing in two delicious Indian meals for us to take home and reheat for dinner. When I stopped by to pick up our special treat, his colleague asked if I knew how to make pulao. I confessed that I had no idea what she was talking about. So, standing in the hallway,  I got a quick how-to lesson so I could go home and make some rice to accompany our chicken and fish.

For starters, pulao is a traditional rice dish - almost like an Indian rice pilaf. If you have eaten at an Indian restaurant, chances are you have had pulao. It is generally served without a lot of spice (often no spice at all) to help balance the flavors of a spicier main dish. Pulao can be made with meat or vegetables - for my first attempt I just stuck with the rice - no extra veggies or meat.

1. First, I was told to use basmati rice and soak it for two to three hours. (I used my rice cooker measuring cup and measured 1 cup of rice.)  After a couple of hours, drain the rice until all the liquid is gone. Set aside.

2. In a small saucepan, lightly saute chopped onions and garlic in a little bit of olive oil. Add the rice and stir to coat. Cook for a few minutes. I was told to add two bay leaves and 1 stick of cinnamon broken in half, but I had no cinnamon so I used two bay leaves and 1 teaspoon or so of garam masala seasoning. Stir.

3. If you have a rice cooker, transfer the rice to a rice cooker and follow your measurement line to add the right amount of water - I used about 2 cups of water to my 1 cup of brown basmati rice. I set my rice cooker to the brown rice setting and let it work its magic. (Don't forget to take out the bay leaves before serving.)

4. If you plan to cook your rice on the stove, add about 2 cups (or a little less depending on your preference) of water and let it come to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and let it simmer 20 to 30 minutes (more for brown rice, 20 minutes for white).

My first attempt at pulao was so successful, I made it again tonight as the main course. This time I used more onion and garlic and a little more garam masala and salt. After putting the rice and water into the rice cooker, I added about 1 1/2 cups of (frozen!) chopped carrots and peas and let that cook right on top of the rice. I set the rice cooker to the brown rice setting and let it cook. The rice came out perfectly and the kids loved it! I chopped up some leftover pork tenderloin from the other night and tossed that in with the rice at the very end and dinner was served.

Enjoy!  

Strawberry Cupcakes (Gluten Free!)

Science experiment or delicious dessert? Or both?

I completely admit that I am not beneath bribing my children with cooking projects to get them to leave a highly desired activity ... say, the playground. Wrangling four children off a playground is truly as hard as it seems. Therefore, when the time comes to leave, I can often be heard suggesting... "Why don't we head home so we can do a fun baking project?" Departure ensues almost instantaneously. Like magic. (Usually.)

This past weekend, I had one very sad girl who did not want to go home. Ever. Through tears, she finally acquiesced, "Can we make cupcakes? Pink ones? Strawberry cupcakes with pink frosting?" Ummm... Sure. Why not? In honor of Valentine's Day, let's make some pink cupcakes. Strawberry, of course.

I started off with a box of Betty Crocker Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Mix. Our local Harris Teeter sells this right in the baking section but if your market does not carry it, you can easily order it online at Amazon. (We buy a lot of our gluten free products through Amazon!) I added a package of strawberry jell-o, 1 stick of melted butter, 4 eggs, and buttermilk pureed with frozen strawberries. Super simple. Moist and delicious. Enjoy!

Ingredients: 
1 box Betty Crocker Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Mix
1 package strawberry jell-o
1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
4 eggs
About 1 cup of strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup buttermilk

Directions:
Combine cake mix and jell-o in a large mixing bowl. Puree strawberries and buttermilk in a blender. Add to mixing bowl. Mix on low to combine. Add melted butter. Mix again. Add 4 eggs (I added 2 at a time - mixing after each pair). After all the ingredients have been combined, mix on high for about 2 minutes.

Pour into muffin tins - we used 12 traditional paper lined tins and another 12 silicon heart shaped muffin holders placed on a cookie sheet.  Cook at 350 for about 20 minutes. Insert a fork or cake tester into the muffin to test for doneness - if it comes out with no crumbs, your cupcakes are ready.

Eat plain or frost with cream cheese frosting! Yum!