Banana Bread

Abstract:

This is my mom’s recipe, mostly. She has a secret ingredient which makes hers even better which I did not have, and hence it is not included in this recipe. I made a loaf earlier this week, and my co-workers ate all of it, demanding more. But now the number of coworkers at my office has dropped precipitously, so I needn’t worry about that anymore. Oh yea, its really easy.

Doesn’t that look loafly.

Prep:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease a 13x9” baking dish or two loaf pans.

Materials:

Dry ingredients: 2 cups Flour 2 cups Sugar 1 tsp. Baking Powder 1 tsp. Baking Soda	A legend would only make this post dry.
Don’t have a mixer? I won’t b lend you mine.	Wet ingredients: 4 eggs 1 cup oil 3 bananas (note: the bananas look ripe and bruised. Ripe bananas taste sweeter)

Methods:

1. Blend wet ingredients (do not blend to death)
2. Combine dry ingredients in a big bowl
3. Pour wet into the dry ingredients and mix with your hands. note: I hope your hands are clean. Don’t whip it up too much, we don’t want the baking soda reaction to start too early.
4. Pour mix into pan
5. Bake 325°F for ~45min

 I won’t lend you my hand either.

Conclusion:

This stuff is really good. I made two batches in one week, and it disappears fast. The top tastes wonderful, and it is a staple in my dessert diet. :)

I hope things pan out…

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Smoothie

Intro:

I realized I should probably put one of my things here, because this blog has the characteristic of coolness enough for me to participate in. And everyone else is putting up such awesome stuff that I need to join in.
I was perusing around in Jamba Juice while waiting for my Protein Berry Workout when I came across this recipe in one of the smoothie tomes that JJ has for sale. Using my spendthrift talents I took a picture of the recipe and got the ingredients to make it at home. I made it the same day Nik came over, and I'm pretty sure he thought it was good. My mind was occupied by the awesomely big bear hug he gave me. Yes, just think about that for a moment...

(I apologize in advance for the photos. I spilled water on my camera, and half the photos are messed up.)

Two guys, two cups. Trust me.

Prep:

Freeze two bananas the day before: peel them and put them into a ziplock bag in the freezer.

Make:

1/2 cup chocolate rice milk (I used soy)
1/2 cup soft silken tofu (I used firm, which Nik estimated into 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 fresh bananas, frozen and sliced
2 tbsp. chocolate syrup
6-7 ice cubes

1) Combine the milk (first), tofu and peanut butter in a blender. Stir it a bit. This was actually pretty tough, but just get it mixed.
2) Slowly add bananas, chocolate syrup, and ice cubes.
3) Blend until smooth.

Seems easy, but the blending part can be quite tough/tricky. You have to shake the blender or push down the entire mix every now and then (do not do it while it is on!) so that the blades can reach an even mix. After a while of pureeing, it should fall into the traditional tornado shaped mixing motion inherent in proper liquid blending procedures.

Drink:
Drink.

Outro:
It comes out very thick, creamy, and luscious (sorry, I couldn't find any alternative yet satisfactory words to describe it). It is quite filling, and can serve up to 3 people. Talk about being a third wheel.

Schick Quattro:
The only thing I did not have on hand was the tofu. Next time I plan on adding a little bit more chocolate milk for ease of blending and greater throughput of a more liquid product. Have fun and don't burn out your blender!

Kale Chips

Before yesterday, I had never tried kale. I had wanted to for a while; they look so pretty, so lush all bundled and stacked together at the grocery store. It had never made it into my shopping cart until yesterday because I didn't know what to do with it. Do I toss it in a salad? Put it in my turkey sandwich? Determined to find a use for this obscure crinkly leaf, I began Googling kale recipes.

Um...My search gave me over 1.5 million results. Where had I been all along?

You can sauté it, boil it, eat it raw. You can it eat with rice, you can put it into a smoothie, you can parboil it. You can it eat it with a fox, you can eat it in a box.

But seriously, I don't know why I underestimated it so. One cup of kale has 206% Vitamin A, 134% Vitamin C, 9% calcium (percent daily value). I guess it always just looked like garnish to me. The one recipe, however, that people all over the internet are raving about is...Kale Chips! So simple, so nutritious, so yummy! It's the healthy alternative to potato chips. Something this healthy MUST taste awful right? WRONG.

Simply cut or tear the washed leaves off the tougher stem, line them on a baking sheet, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and salt (start with a little then add more to taste). A small grating of parmesan cheese on top would also be fabulous. Put them in a 325 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes. The edges should be brown, but not burned. As soon as they're out of the oven, you have a delicious snack that crunch in your mouth just like a Lay's potato chip.

You really have to try it to believe it.

Pineapple Fried Quinoa

Most of the dishes I cook come from a cycling of left-over ingredients. I buy stuff for one dish, and inevitably I have more of something than I need, like garlic, cilantro, eggs, or even something exotic like tahini. Then I'll search for recipes that use my left-over ingredients, I run out to grab a couple other things from the store, and after that meal I have new left-over ingredients. And on it goes. So this recipe came from a hunt for something that had both cilantro and chicken broth. Luckily, it also had quinoa, which has been quietly hanging out in my pantry since I cut back on my carb consumption. Thing is, I was supposed to use cilantro in my zucchini stir-fry salad on Monday, but I completely forgot to add it in. In any case, most recipes only use a tablespoon of the stuff at a time since it's so strongly flavored, and I didn't want a whole bunch wilting on my watch.

So down to the good stuff. I used green onions this time just to give it some color, otherwise it would be all light brown and unappealing. There are technically three parts to this recipe: quinoa, scrambled eggs, and sautéed spices/flavors. The quinoa is the easiest and takes the longest to prepare, so we'll start there.

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 cup water

Bring everything up to a boil, then lower the heat to low, cover (leave a small gap for steam) and let sit for about 20 minutes or until the quinoa looks "fluffy." While this is going on, whisk 3 eggs and scramble 'em. Leave aside for the time being.

Now comes the fun part. Get a large wok-like skillet (I wish I had one) and add, over medium-low heat:

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp hot sauce or chili oil (If using hot sauce use something "runny" like Tabasco)
• 5, yes FIVE cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bunch of green onion stalks, chopped

Sauté about 5 minutes, then add

• 1 cup diced pineapple
• 1-2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (I eyeballed it)

Sauté another 2-3 minutes, then add in the quinoa, immediately followed by 1/4 cup soy sauce (it will prevent the quinoa from drying out), and the scrambled egg. Mix thoroughly, and serve hot!

Zucchini Stir-Fry Salad

Another allrecipes.com adaptation, this is a recipe that I've made before. I followed it to a tee last time and wasn't incredibly fond of it, but I've decided to give it another go after making some necessary (in my opinion) modifications. First change: I'm heating the liquid ingredients, the "dressing," with the seaweed to absorb the iodine and other nutrients before tossing the seaweed out; last time I left it in and it was... weird. Second, I'm substituting shallots for the green onions the recipe calls for. I find chopping green onions a bit of a pain because the cleaning is a little more involved (green onions are like little tubes that launch water all over the place), and the flavors are similar enough. Finally, today I'm adding pink salmon flakes to the mix, just to add some protein and essential fats. Here's what you need for 6 servings (I halved it because I only feed myself):

• 1 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 3 tbsp miso paste (I used red genmai miso)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 tbsp hot sauce (ideally Thai chili but I only have Louisiana Red Rooster)
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 6 medium zucchini, julienned (cut in half, then twice lengthwise; I also diced them crosswise again to make them easier to eat)
• 2 sheets kombu (thick seaweed)
• 2 tbsp slivered almonds
• 2 packets Seabear ready-to-eat wild pink salmon

Start by dry-toasting the sesame seeds over low heat; this should take about five minutes or until the seeds are just starting to brown (you'll be able to smell it). Meanwhile, combine the liquid ingredients in a small saucepan, cut your seaweed into strips, add to the liquids and heat on medium-low for 5-10 minutes without reaching boiling. Then remove and dump the seaweed.

In a large bowl, combine the chopped veggies, salmon, miso paste, hot sauce, sesame seeds, cilantro, almonds, sugar and heated liquids. Mix until thoroughly chaotic, then refrigerate until serving time. It tastes good lukewarm, but it's much better cold.

Result: Boy, am I glad I gave this recipe another shot. The sauce is perfect, and the salmon adds to the flavor without being too fishy. I didn't know I was this good =]