Mini Banana Nut Muffins

I like making mini muffins since they allow for portion control.  Sometime a big muffins is just too much, and what are you going to do start to eat it and get partway through and stop!  No, you must finish it.  Mini muffins allow for a smaller portion and most of the time just enough of a good thing.  These are like banana bread with yummy crumb topping.  With these, yes the base is good, but the crumb topping is a must.  Enjoy!

Recipe:

1 c flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 over ripe mashed bananas

1/2 c sugar

1 egg

3 Tbsp butter, melted

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• TOPPING
• 3/4 c brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp butter
• GREASE OR LINE MINI MUFFIN TIN WITH BAKN PAPER CUPS.
• IN A LARGE BOWL MIX FLOUR, BAKN POWDER, BAKN SODA, N SALT. IN ANOTHER BOWL MIX MASHD BANANAS, VANILLA EXTRACT, MELTD BUTTER, BEATN EGG N SUGAR. STIR BANANA MIXTURE INTO FLOUR MIXTURE JUST UNTIL MOISTENED.
• WITH A SMALL SPOON FILL PAPER CUP LINERS WITH BATTER...LEAVN A LITTLE BIT OF ROOM FOR CRUMB TOPPN. PREHEAT OVEN TO 375.
• IN A SMALL BOWL MIX BROWN SUGAR, FLOUR, CINNAMON. CUT BUTTER INTO THIS MIXTURE...I USED MY FINGERS N ROLLD IT INTO MIXTURE. TOP EACH MUFFIN W/CRUMB TOPPING. 
• BAKE FOR 10-12 MIN

 **I did find that these froze well.  As there is just my husband and I most baking recipes just make too much to keep around the house.  So I try to freeze items to use later.

Eggplant "Meatballs"

As summer is coming to a close my husband garden is still producing plenty of eggplant.  We've tried some different eggplant recipes this summer along with some old favorites.  This morning I already had the plan to make my Eggplant Lasagna, however there were two eggplants in my fridge.  And sadly both needed to be used or they were going to go bad shortly.  I prepped and made the lasagna so that it could just go right into the oven later.  This took care of one eggplant.  The other one seemed to mock me from the fridge waiting for what it's fate would be.  After some exploring on Pinterest I came across a recipe for eggplant meatballs.  I came across my delerious kitchen's version.  I based mine on their recipe but made some alterations.  

I found that one ball on a piece of an onion roll with some basil pesto was a perfect light lunch.  They would also work with any other sauce that one might eat a regular meatball with.  I am happy with the turnout of these.  They are certainly a healthier option to friend meatballs, as these are meatless, and baked.

Recipe:

2tablespoons of Olive oil

1 eggplant, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon basil

2 teaspoons oregano

3 cloves of garlic

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons grated parmesan

1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 cup of bread crumbs

1 egg

2 tablespoons of parsley.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray lightly with oil.  

In a medium pan heat olive oil on medium heat.  Saute garlic, once fragrant add basil and oregano.  Saute about 1 minute.  Add the eggplant and cook until golden.  Add 2-3 tablespoons of water and cover.  Steam the eggplant until very soft, approximately 10- 15 minutes.  Place eggplant into a bowl and allow to cool.  

Into the bowl add the cheeses, egg, breadcrumbs, parsley, and salt/pepper to taste.  Mix until just combined.  Form balls and place on cooking sheet.  Cook 30 minutes, turning halfway.  

Chewy Granola Bars

My husband and I are huge granola bar eaters.  They are usually our go to snack in the afternoon or a quick grab rushing out the door in the morning.  I have tried to make them in the past and for whatever reason never quite got them right.  This recipe is just what was needed.  These came out so delicious.  They are a chewy bar, which is what we like.  I do admit I goofed on these but have to say my goof worked and they tasted great!  I decided to add chocolate chips but they wound up melting into the bars. So every bite has a nice chocolate taste, what could be wrong with that?  Key is to make sure to let them cool completely before touching them.

1 cup butter

2/3 cup honey

1/2 cup granulated sugar

5 cups oats

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup almonds, roughly chopped

1 cup dried cranberries

1 Tbsp flour

pinch of kosher salt

1 cup chocolate chips

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9x13 cake pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang. 

  

In a medium saucepan place butter, honey, sugar, and melt over a medium-low heat. About 3 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, cranberries, chocolate chips, flour, and salt.  Add the butter mixture folding into dry mixture until just combined. (this is where I goofed and it melted my chocolate chips....but oh so yummy).  Gently press mixture into the prepared pan.  Bake until golden brown, 30-35 minutes.  Transfer to wire rack to cool.  Using parchment paper overhang transfer to cutting board to cut.

*I kept my in a rubbermaid container in layers separated by parchment paper.

Ricotta Pancakes

Recently my husband made his own ricotta cheese, and one afternoon I bought a container of ricotta cheese forgetting we had homemade in the fridge.  So now we had a lot of ricotta and what to do with it all.  After browsing a few different recipes on pinterest I decided to try and make ricotta pancakes.  It seemed like perfect timing for a Sunday morning, and a uneventful one also.  I have to say I love these pancakes.  They are very light and fluffy.  And perfect with fresh fruit on top.  We found too that no butter  was needed as they are cooked with some.  I was also amazed how easy they were to cook.  Nothing stuck and since they are so light they were very easy to flip.  And being that it is just the two of us We made all the batter and I am freezing them, hopefully they will taste just as good during the week!

1 1/3 cup ricotta (I threw whole 15 oz container in)
1 cup flour
4 eggs separated
1 tsp baking powder
1 pinch of salt
3/4 cup milk
zest of one lemon
Fresh fruit and maple syrup to serve

Mix together egg yolks and milk in a large bowl.  Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix
Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, and fold into the batter. Add the lemon zest and ricotta cheese, mix.  Make sure not to over mix some lumps of cheese are good.  Heat a griddle with butter and using 2 tablespoons of batter for each pancake cook about 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden.


**I made all the batter then laid the extra pancakes on a sheet pan on top of a silicone mat. I placed the pan in the freezer and froze pancakes.  Separate each pancake with parchment paper and store in a container.  Reheat in the toaster.

Eggplant Lasagna

So far this summer my husband's garden is not yielding a lot of produce. One thing we seem to have a lot of every week are plum tomatoes.  Making me crush and make lots of homemade tomato sauce.  We have had pizza a few nights to enjoy that sauce.  This week also he plucked an eggplant from the garden.  A recent cleaning out of the pantry I discovered a box of lasagna noodles hiding in the back.  And it was that box that prompted this meal.  It was also the perfect time in the week to make a bigger meal that would yield plenty of leftovers for us since I know tomorrow night our schedules will not match up and we would each be on our own for dinner.  Also looking at the basket of tomatoes and the eggplant on my counter I knew I had to do something with it all since we had some plans to eat out this week it was now or never before the produce went bad.  And I could not let that happen.  So we instead enjoyed this wonderful meal.  And as my husband noted he did not miss the usual meat that was typically found in lasagna. 

Lasagna Recipe:

28 oz tomato sauce

1-2 eggplant thinly sliced (depending on size) *I like to peel mine but you don't have to

1 15oz. container ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 box no boil lasagna noodles

1 teaspoon oregano

1  egg

1 cup mozzarella cheese

salt and pepper

Heat oven to 375 degrees. On a foil lined baking sheet place eggplant slices sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast ten minutes, flipping halfway through

Preheat oven to 370 degrees. In a medium bowl mix ricotta, egg, 1/4 cup parmesan, and oregano.  In a lasagna pan (I only had an oval casserole dish so I wound up breaking noodles to fit) place sauce in bottom of dish to coat.  Place a layer of noodles. Layer with eggplant.  Spread some cheese mixture on eggplant then coat with sauce.  Repeat this process.  Make sure to top with a layer of lasagna noodles covered with sauce, then remaining parmesan and mozzarella.  Bake about 50 minutes covered with foil until bubbling. Remove foil and bake another 5-10 minutes.

Homemade Tomato Sauce:

plum tomatoes ( I had a colander full)

2-3 cloves of garlic minced

1/2 onion diced

5-6 leaves fresh basil

1/2 tablespoon oregano

pinch of red pepper flake

salt and pepper

In a pot of water boil tomatoes about 10 minutes or until skins crack.  Drain.  Place tomatoes in a mill and churn until only skins are left.  In a skillet heat olive oil and add onion, cook about 203 minutes until softened.  Add garlic cook another minute.  Add rest of spices.  Add tomato sauce.  Simmer 15 minutes.  

Pressed Vegetable Picnic Sandwich

Summer is the perfect time to plan a picnic.  And nothing travels better then a pressed sandwich.  This one is inspired by a french pan bagnat.  This is a meatless sandwich consistently of mainly vegetables. I also love the combination of pesto and olive tapenade on this sandwich. All are layered on the bread then wrapped and pressed using a heavy skillet or pan while it chills in the fridge for at least four hours or overnight.  I think mine could have pressed a little longer.  I could barely fit my mouth around this monster of a sandwich! Sadly I had prepared these sandwiches to take to a outdoor movie night in the local park, however due to rain we ate at our kitchen table and rented a movie to watch from our couch.  

Sandwich pairs well with a nice glass of wine and a tomato/cucumber salad.




Sandwiches:

crusty bread (ciabatta, baguette etc..)
Roasted vegetables, I used 1 small zucchini, 1 small eggplant, 1 bell pepper  (slice all vegetables toss with olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, and herb de provence place on baking sheet in a single layer and roast for about 15 minutes at 375)
4 oz goat cheese
2 tablespoons of pesto
2 tablespoons of olive tapenade*
1 1/2 cups baby spinach
basil leaves
1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Allow vegetables to cool.  Cut bread, remove some of the inside if very thick.  On one half spread the pesto, on the other half spread the olive tapenade.  On the pesto side spread goat cheese.  Layer vegetables on bread.  Top with drizzle of olive oil and spinach. Close sandwich.  Wrap in plastic wrap and place in Ziploc bag.  Place in fridge with a heavy skillet or pan on top.  Chill 4 hours or overnight.


*Olive Tapenade:
2 anchovy fillet ( used a teaspoon of anchovy paste)
1 garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup oil-cured black olives, pitted
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Mash all ingredients (except olive oil) together to form a paste,  whisk in olive oil

Summer Side Salad

This summer  it's all about different cold salads.  They are easy, and are portable for lunches.  This one uses quinoa, wheat berries, and couscous as the base.  Added to that are some fresh garden vegetables, dressed with a  simple vinaigrette.   This can be used as a side or even as a meal when served over some fresh spinach with some grilled chicken.

If you have not had wheat berries they add a nice nutty taste. Quinoa are small grains that are a filling whole grain.  Couscous are little pearls of pasta. 

I admit I am not a fan of fresh tomatoes I am often picking them out of things
but my husband loves them so for this I only placed one little chopped tomato
in. Please feel free to add more!


Salad:
1/2 cup cooked quinoa (*I cooked the quinoa and wheat berries together as they took the same amount of time and water)
1/2 cup cooked wheat berries
1/2 cup couscous
1/2 red bell pepper diced
1 small carrot peeled and diced
1-2 green onion diced
1/2 zucchini diced
1/4 cup diced tomato
1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons  red wine vinegar
4 tabelspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon herb de provence
salt and pepper to taste

Cook grains according to package.  While they cook dice vegetables.  Once grain are cooked place in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil to keep from sticking and allow to cool.  Add chopped vegetables.  Drizzle with vinaigrette when serving.






Works well paired up with some fresh baby spinach