Ja cię kocham…

Besides a grilled veggie sandwich, my all-time favorite lunch is a peanut butter and banana sandwich.  And if anyone happens to throw in some marshmallow fluff and/or chocolate, I won’t tell.  YUM.  I used to eat two of them every day during college (can we say freshman 15???).

I had a whole bunch of very, VERY ripe bananas sitting on my counter this morning, and I had a thought.  I would LOVE to make banana bread… better yet, I would LOVE to make peanut butter banana bread!  Even though this idea was original for me, I knew that there would be a recipe online for it.  And I was right )  AND it was a healthier version to boot.  Fantastic.

Even thought this is a more “healthy” version of the bread, you can’t even tell.  It’s sweet, it’s peanut buttery, and it’s incredible.  Basically it’s a woman’s dream all wrapped up in one baked good.  My friend Nicole tried it today at work and absolutely loved it.  She’s a queen baker so that means a lot!!!  )

Peanut Butter Banana Bread (with Chocolate Chips)

Source: Peanut Butter Boy

Yields 1 to 2 loaves

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (all-purpose flour also works well but try to use unbleached)
3/4 cup brown sugar (I used natural cane sugar)
1T baking powder
3/4t salt
1/4t cinnamon
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large)
1 cup skim milk
3/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter w/ salt
1t vanilla extract
1/4 cup egg substitute (or 1 egg)
3.5 oz dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks (I used chocolate chips)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans (or muffin tins).

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In a medium bowl, combine mashed bananas, milk, peanut butter, vanilla and egg.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir just until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Split evenly between the two pans  and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Since the batter can easily fit  into one pan – If you want to make only one loaf, bake for 20- 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

This intensely satisfying breakfast is for my darling husband, Jay.  Jay LOVES Saturday and Sunday morning breakfasts in our home because we like to go all out.  Being as busy as we are (both in grad school and both working) we adore lazy weekend mornings filled with jammies until at least noon, no real urgent plans, and a large homemade breakfast.

Jay loves pancakes.  He has his own special recipe that makes them light and fluffy with the capability of melting in your mouth.

Jay loves carrot cake.  For our wedding we had a mixture of carrot and red velvet (my absolute favorite cake) as our wedding cake.  As far as Jay is concerned, carrot cake simply cannot be beaten.

During my typical daily perusing of food blogs, I came across a carrot cake pancake recipe from Joy the Baker.  Joy knows baking, and if you are going to indulge in any baking recipe at all, it must be Joy’s.  She is a pro.

Made from freshly grated carrots and a mix of whole wheat and unbleached all purpose flour, these pancakes are incredibly filling.  Your eyes are easily bigger than your stomach for these babies.

Joy made a very important observation.  She said that the carrots in her pancakes were a little too crunchy so I alleviated that by finely grating mine.  The results were great!

Noodles loves her carrots and she’ll eat them chopped, grated or whole!

Since I have a complex with crunchiness in my baked goods I FINELY chopped my pecans to the point that they were almost a powder.  I wanted the flavor without the chunk.  Again, it worked well!  No funky chunky pecan bites in my pancakes!

I also prefer my nutmeg to be freshly grated with a microplane.  The flavor is fresher, bolder, and a little goes a long way…

These pancakes very easy to make and incredibly filling.  If you enjoy a good carrot cake then these pancakes are perfect for you.

Homemade Carrot Cake Pancakes with Cream Cheese Topping

Source: Mildly adapted from Joy the Baker

Makes 10-12 small pancakes or 5-6 large pancakes

Ingredients:

3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans
2 teaspoons baking powder (aluminum-free if you can!)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Dash nutmeg
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup packed natural cane sugar (brown sugar works well, too)
1 cup milk
2 cups finely grated carrots – (as fine as you can)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Spread
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 dash ground cinnamon

Directions:

In a bowl, combine flours, pecans, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, combine egg, brown sugar, milk, carrots, and vanilla; mix well.

Stir carrot mixture into dry ingredients until moistened. Pour batter by 1/4 cupful onto a greased hot griddle. Turn when bubbles form on the top of pancake; flip and cook until golden brown.

For topping, blend cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Sprinkle with cinnamon, and serve with pancakes.

Not the most glamorous shot, but you can see why I became full so quickly!!  Yum!

Well last week I accumulated quite a bit of leftover fruit, which has compelled me to bake.  I’m not normally a baker because either what I make sits in my kitchen until it’s hard as a rock, or I manage to eat 12 muffins or a whole loaf of bread in 2 days.  I cannot find the happy medium that allows me slowly enjoy what I have baked.

Yes, I could cut the batch in half… I may try that next time, but often times I’m left with disappointing results.

Anyway… I had some left over mangoes in my fruit bowl.  Mangoes can be rather expensive so normally I buy one at a time.  Since they were on some kind of super sale, I bought 4.  They weren’t ripe yet, so I waited and waited for them to ripen until I forgot about them.  Oops…

What do you do with slightly overripe fruit?  You bake with it!  But what on earth can you make with mango?  It was time for research.

Joy the Baker, a food blog celebrity, made her own fresh Mango bread with lime zest and grated Granny Smith apple.  It sounded a bit odd – so it’s perfect!  I love making unusual foods, especially with fruits and veggies.

The bread takes some time to bake in the oven, so just make sure that you have the time.  I’m off from school for a week so my mornings are pretty free.

Joy, you didn’t fail me.  The bread was super moist because of the apple, and delicately sweet.  The ground ginger gave it a punch that makes you say “Mmmmm…what is that?”.  I only tweaked it a tiny bit.  I used natural cane sugar instead of white sugar, and I omitted the golden raisins.  Just like walnuts, I’m not a big fan of raisins in my baked goods.

This bread is the perfect breakfast to go.  Yum!

Mango Bread with Lime and Granny

Source: Joy the Baker, adapted from Baking a la Greenspan

Ingredients:

3 large eggs
3/4 cup flavorless oil such as canola
2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (all-purpose is fine)
1 cup natural cane sugar
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 to 1 1/4 cup diced mangoes from 1 large peeled and pitted mango
1 cup grated apple from 1 peeled Granny Smith apple
grated zest of 1/2 lime
Directions:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess.  Put the pan on an insulated baking sheet or on regular baking sheets stacked on on top of the other.  This extra insulation will keep the bottom of the bread from over baking.

Whisk the eggs and the oil together.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.  Rub the brown sugar between your palms into the bowl, breaking up any lumps, then stir it in.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix until blended.  The batter will have a doughy, sticky consistency that is very difficult to mix, but do not fret!  The fruit will make it smoother once you add it.

Stir in the mango, apples, and zest.  Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

Bake the bread for 1 1/2 hours, or until it is golden brown and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  I recommend checking your bread every 30 minutes to see if the top is beginning to brown.

Joy offers excellent advice: If the bread looks as if it’s getting too brown as it bakes, cover loosely with a foil tent. I had to do that, and it was my saving grace.

Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before running a knife around the sides of the pan and unmolding.  Invert and cool to room temperature right side up on the rack.

I would have never thought to put bananas and espresso together in a muffin, a cake, or in anything.  I was quite intrigued by the thought of these two flavors blended and baked together with cane sugar and vanilla.   Sounds pretty tempting, mostly because of the espresso.

And that’s because I am a huge java junkie.  I eagerly await my Gevalia Coffee shipment each month and get so excited when it arrives on my door step.   I do not splurge often, but I encourage all to splurge a little on one of your favorite things – and mine happens to be café au lait or a vanilla cappuccino with soy milk, or an awesome cookbook.

Heidi Swanson has quickly become my absolute favorite cook to follow.  Her blog 101 Cookbooks is amazing and so is her cookbook, Super Natural Cooking.  I have made several of her recipes and have been blown away by them all.  Her selection of ingredients are natural and wholesome, yet incredibly flavorful.  Just because you eat healthy does not mean you have to deprive yourself of flavor.  I am learning this now thanks to Heidi Swanson.

These amazingly delicious muffins come from her cookbook, Super Natural Cooking.  The only changes that I made were the omitted the walnuts (I’m not a big fan of a crunch in my soft muffins, breads, and cakes) and the use of one cup of whole wheat flour and one cup of unbleached all-purpose flour because I didn’t have the white whole-wheat flour that the recipe called for.

Espresso Banana Muffins

Source: Super Natural Cooking, p. 38

Yields 12 muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups white whole-wheat flour
2 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 tsp. fine-grain sea salt
1 1/4 cups chopped, toasted walnuts (optional)
1 Tbs. fine espresso powder
6 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup natural cane sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups mashed overripe bananas (about 3 large bananas)

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees F, and position the racks low in the oven, and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, 3/4 cup of the walnuts, and espresso powder in a bowl.  Whisk to combine.

In a separate large bowl, or a stand mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy.  Beat in the sugar and then the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla, yogurt, and mashed bananas, then very carefully mix in the dry ingredients. Be sure not to overmix or the muffins will become tough.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins, top with remaining walnuts, and bake until golden – about 25 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes then place on wire rack to finish cooling.

Okay so let me tell you about this dish.  It contains all the necessary ingredients of a hearty breakfast without all of the dishes to go with it.  And for those of you that are wondering about me consuming bacon, I’m fine.  I survived ;o)

This recipe is by no means the normal healthy meal that I usually whip up.  It has fat, it has cheese, and it has potatoes.  We all have to indulge sometimes!  It’s St. Patrick’s Day, I gotta have my potatoes!

Jay was hoping that I made a whole boat full of this stuff because he could eat it all day, everyday.  This was by far the BEST breakfast that I have ever made.  And I have a few good ones up my sleeves.

Bacon, Hashies, and Eggs in a Bowl

Source: ZestyCook.com

Serves 2

Ingredients:

5 slices maple bacon, chopped
1 1/2 cups frozen hash browns
2 eggs
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
sea salt and pepper
scallions, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat pan to medium-high and start to render the bacon.  This will take roughly 5-7 minutes.

Add hash browns and continue to saute until has browns are cooked through.  Season with salt and pepper.

Create two hallow openings in the mixture.

Crack eggs into opening and let cook for 5-7 minutes.

Sprinkle cheese over top  and cover with lid until cheese is melted.

You can use a spatula and gently divide it among two bowls.  Top with scallions.

Brrrr!  This time last week I was in sunny, warm Ft. Lauderdale getting ready to sail to The Bahamas and now I’m snowed in.  Believe it or not, it was 60+ degrees HERE on Friday.  By Monday we have several inches of snow at our feet.

This post is just to share with you how much I love having breakfast with my husband.  We relish the days we have time to sit in the morning, sipping coffee and enjoying each other.  Typically Jay is rushing off to work while I’m up to my ears in textbooks, work, and laundry so today was a special treat for us.  Weekends are great for these type of breakfasts.  (Today we didn’t eat until 11 or so…)

On the Menu:

Veggie Omelet with Feta and Salsa Verde
Soy Yogurt topped with fresh fruit and granola or ground flax seeds
Whole Wheat toast with yogurt butter
Gevalia coffee (my FAVORITE)
Water with fresh lemon
Skim Milk (because it’s not breakfast for Jay without his milk!)

The omelet was a GREAT way for me to use up even more of my peppers.  I just sauteed them for a few minutes with some chopped leeks before adding the eggs.  I like to use 1 whole egg per 3 egg whites.  A pinch of sea salt and that fantastic chipotle chile pepper and breakfast was served!

I have 3 guilty-pleasure foods that I have loved since I was brought into this beautiful, food-filled world…

1. Fettuccine Alfredo
2. Big Macs
3. Strawberry Frosted Pop Tarts by Kellogg’s

It does not matter what food I am introduced to, I will always love these 3 the most.  It has been this way forever.

Since I made my own strawberry jam, I needed to figure out ways to use it besides just spreading it on my bread.  Well hello Kellogg’s!  Let’s make strawberry, frosted pastry pockets!  I know that I seem to say this a lot, but this recipe mildly adapted from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody was so simple that I didn’t even need a mixer!

Unfortunately, I get minus points for presentation, I apologize for that.  I made REALLY tiny pastries because I did not want the temptation in my house like the Lemon Sugar Cookies brought.  Being so small, I had trouble pressing the edges down without making the entire pastry an edge!

But hey, they sure do taste good.

I was initially put off by the glaze that I made.  It was WAY too sweet and I was afraid that it would ruin my little beauties.  Luckily the pie crust that I made was not sweet so it balanced the sweet jam and glaze.  Phew – that was a close one.

Strawberry Frosted Pastry Pockets

(yields 4 pastries)

Ingredients:

Pie crust (store bought or see recipe below)
Strawberry Jam (I made my own)
Glaze (see recipe below)
Sparkling Sugar or rainbow jimmies

To make Pie Crust:

1-1/2 cups sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. almond extract (optional)
3 tablespoons cold water
Combine flour and salt in bowl.

Add butter and extract and blend with fork, pastry cutter or your fingers until mixture is fairly coarse.

Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, gently mixing dough after each addition until dough forms a ball.

Place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into a square/rectangle. Cut out long strips about 2 inches wide, and 3 inches long. Repeat till you run out of dough.

To make Glaze:

1 cup powder sugar
milk to thin

Place powdered sugar in bowl. Pour milk slowly until it has a consistency of really thick syrup.

Directions to make the Pastries:

Take one pie crust rectangle, fill with a tsp of jam. Cover with another piece of pie crust.

Crimp all four edges. You may use a fork to do this.

Repeat until you run out of pie crust. Bake at 450 degrees F for about 8 minutes or until slightly brown. Set aside to cool.

Once cooled, pour glaze on to pastry and decorate with sparkling sugar or jimmies.

Yes, I said it.  Chocolate.  Raspberries.  Almonds.  Did I mention bliss?

This would be perfect for a Valentine’s Day morning treat for your special someone!  As is, the bread is mildly sweet, which for me makes a fantastic breakfast treat!  The bread was moist, chocolaty, with a hint of tartness from the raspberries – YUM!

I adapted this recipe from Joy the Baker.  I substituted 1/4 cup of the 2 cups of all-purpose flour for cocoa powder because who can resist chocolate and raspberries?  Not this girl.

Chocolate Raspberry Almond Bliss Bread

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons sour cream
1 cup crushed fresh raspberries or strawberries or blueberries
1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray or grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar and almond extract until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the flour and sour cream. Fold in the crushed fruit and almond slivers.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the center of the oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool the bread in the pan for 20 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack, turn right side up and cool completely.

Okay, so here’s the thing.  I LOVE carbs.  I LOVE junk food.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE sweets.  Don’t we all?  My problem is portion control.  If I’m daring enough to have one piece of sweet deliciousness, I end up saying, “ah, what the heck” and continue to eat until I’m filled to the brim with sugar, carbs, and guilt.

You, too?

Well, I have a solution.

Whole wheat flour has become my culinary savior.  By substituting all-purpose white, stick to your hips, flour with some hearty, fiber-filled whole wheat flour I can have my carbs and sweets without all of the guilt afterwards.  I also use sugar substitute when baking.   It saves me a ton of unwanted calories (that I will eventually eat at dinner time).  There is also  a brand of sugar that is a mix of sugar substitute and the real thing if you want to cut some calories but are not sure about using only sugar substitute.   Honestly, I am happy with more fiber and less calories.  Simple as that.

Now I can have my carbs!  And of course, I can’t forget about my coffee ;o)

I found the recipe on Avec Gourmandise – another blog that appreciates the importance of whole wheat!  The biscotti is a fantastic breakfast with a cup of tea or coffee.  It is not overly sweet – just enough to satisfy you.

If you are like my husband and tend to run out the door every morning for work, it’s a great “grab and go” meal.

Cranberry Almond Whole Wheat Biscotti

Ingredients:

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/4 dried cranberries
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix together flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix in the nuts and fruit.

Whisk together eggs and the extracts.  Add to flour mixture, stir until combined.

With floured hands, shape dough into a loaf about 1 inch thick, 4 inches wide. Transfer to the baking sheet.

Bake until risen and firm, about 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.  Let the loaf cool about 10 minutes on a cutting board, then cut diagonally into 1/2″ slices.

Arrange slices cut-side down and bake 10 minutes, then turn the slices over and bake until dried, about 10 more minutes.  Let cool on wire rack.

After spending my free time “oooing and ahhing” over the recipes and food blogs that others have created, I have decided to invest my time in creating my own.  I find myself cooking and baking quite often, but I rarely save the recipes for future use.   Well enough is enough!  It’s time to keep track of what I make, and this is the perfect outlet!  So let’s give it a try.

One thing that is a “must know” about me is that I adore coffee.  I walk around pretty much the entire day with a cup of joe in my hands.  Nothing excites me more than brewing a fresh pot of coffee in the morning.  The aroma arouses my senses allowing me to prepare for the day ahead of me.

Without further ado… my FIRST post…

Hot Chocolate Latte with Chai Spice

Ingredients:

8 oz. hot skim milk
1/2 – 1 package hot chocolate mix
1 shot espresso
Light whipped cream for topping
Chai Spice Blend (optional)

Directions:

Whisk milk and hot chocolate mix until smooth.  Add espresso shot and top with whipped cream.  Sprinkle with Chai Spice and enjoy your fancy beverage!