Good-For-You Banana Bread

I came home from the grocery store with 5 pounds of bananas today... I know, what on earth was I thinking? Well, I'll tell you. "Oh look at those beautiful bruised bananas! There are so many of them! They are all by themselves bagged up and only a third of the cost of regular bananas. -Ha! Those crazy grocery guys, they are doing me a favor. Now I get to buy bananas at a fraction of the cost and I don't even have to wait for them to go black. Think of all the smoothies, banana breads, and brownies I can make with these babies!" From there, you can guess what happened.

I was also trying to use up that massive jar of apple sauce in my fridge still, so I knew I needed to find a recipe that used a massive amount of both apple sauce and bananas. And of course, I wanted as little oil or butter as possible and I needed it to be mostly whole wheat. Oh, and it needed to taste good too. I swear I'm not picky... 0=). Anyway, if you are wondering if I found a moist, not-too-sweet recipe that still bakes tall enough to come over the edges of the pan (banana bread is not banana bread unless it rises above the top of the pan), the answer can be found below. Happy baking!

Low-Fat Banana Bread
Adapted from this recipe

Yield: 1 8x4 loaf (easy to double though for 2 loaves)

2 tablespoons butter

⅓ cup white sugar * if using sweetened applesauce, omit the white sugar

⅓ cup brown sugar

4 overly ripe bananas, peeled and mashed

¼ cup yogurt plain

¼ cup unsweetened applesauce * if sweetened, omit white sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

¼ cup wheat germ

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ cup cacao nibs * optional

½ cup roughly chopped walnuts * optional

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Grease an 8x4 loaf pan (or muffin pan, if you want muffins).

Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.

Add the bananas, yogurt, applesauce, egg, and vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl mix, together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well, then fold in desired mix-ins (such as 1 small apple (peeled, cored and diced), ½ cup chopped walnuts, or ½ cup chocolate chips).

Pour into the pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (if baking muffins, bake for 20-30 minutes).

Cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before removing from the pan and cooling completely on a wire rack.

The Best Fudgy Banana Caramel Brownies (easily Veganized!)

Do you really want chocolate? Do you need so badly in your life that you might gnaw your pointer finger off despite its infinite usefulness is in daily life if that's what it took to get some of that bittersweet cocoa? If you answered yes, we totally think alike. Which is why I am supplying you with this recipe. I love your pointer finger that much. 

The best part is, you can almost tell yourself that these brownies are good for you! I mean, they have whole wheat flour in them and there is no butter or oil in sight. In fact, they even have fruit (apples and bananas, so classic) in them! The sugar content can totally be ignored for these purposes. Enjoy your almost-good-for-you brownie and sit back on the couch instead of going to the gym.

Also, these are fantastic if you have vegan are dairy-free friends. If you don't want to mess with finding dairy-free caramel (though you will need to mess with finding vegan chocolate chips), simply skip that that step and, instead, heat up some regular JIF or Peter Pan peanut butter and drizzle over top as soon as they come out of the oven. Mmmm, chocolate+PB+banana. Yum. In my case though, I think I prefer the pools of gooey caramel that form on the top of these beauties. Caramel+chocolate+banana, delicious.

Applesauce Brownies (with option to make vegan)Adapted from The Messie Kitchen
Yield: 8x8 pan (8-12 servings, depending on how big or small you like your brownies) 

1 cup unsweetened applesauce* omit sugar if using sweetened

1/3 cup sugar* omit if using sweetened applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup unbleached white flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup chocolate chips *use dairy free chips if veganizing

1 large banana (yellow, not brown or super squishy)

¼ cup caramel sauce of your choice *use a dairy free brand if veganizing

1.Preheat oven to 350 and lightly spray or oil an 8 x 8 baking pan.

2. Mix applesauce, sugar (if using unsweetened applesauce), and vanilla in a medium bowl. In another bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.

3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the applesauce mixture. Mix until just combined. Gently fold in chocolate chips

4. Spread half of batter the prepared pan (will be fairly thin). 

5. Slice the large banana into coins and place evenly on top of batter in pan (it should look like polka dots or a connect four game almost). 

6. Spread the remaining half of the batter over top of the bananas.

7. Drizzle caramel sauce over top (I made rows going across up and down so that it pooled where the rows met). 

8. Bake 25-30 min, until center is firm and not sticky. Cool completely before slicing and try not to eat it all before your roommate/family comes home.

Honey Poached Pears

So much like the debate of what is the difference between a muffin and a cupcake, the debate of whether fruit is dessert or not can stir up quite a bit of controversy. I would like to use this post as my way of taking an official position in this long and drawn-out conflict. 

Fruit is dessert. Yes, I said it. Fairly healthy and very yummy. Winter is the perfect time for warm fruit desserts like crisps and hot pies, but poached fruit is one of my favorites. As you may have figured out by now, I love soft, almost mushy, foods. Poached pears mean taking a delicious, soft fruit and infusing it with even more sweet, syrupy flavors and making it just the tiniest bit softer. With the addition of the cool and creamy mascarpone, this is perfect on a cold evening. Feel free to save the sauce to put in hot apple juice or cider, or to mix into warm milk. Honestly, I had the leftover pears and mascarpone for breakfast with a bowl of oatmeal (I mixed the sauce into the oatmeal to sweeten it). I love finding good uses for leftovers.

Also, this would be delicious sprinkled with almond slivers or some granola.

Honey Poached Pears
From Epicurious 

Serves 4 (one pear half each)

2 firm but ripe large Bosc pears, peeled, halved, cored

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 cup water

1/2 cup dry white wine

6 tablespoons honey

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise; or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons brandy or dark rum

Toss pears with lemon juice in large bowl. Set aside. Combine 1 cup water, wine and honey in medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Stir over medium heat until honey dissolves. Add pears. Cover mixture with round piece of parchment paper. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pears are just tender when pierced, turning when half-way through cooking, about 15 minutes.

Using slotted spoon, transfer pears to large bowl. Boil poaching liquid until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 2 minutes. Cool syrup. Pour syrup over pears. Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 8 hours or overnight. Remove vanilla bean.

Whisk mascarpone cheese, sugar and brandy in large bowl until smooth. Add 1/4 cup chilled poaching syrup and whisk until soft peaks form.

Thinly slice each pear half lengthwise, leaving slices attached at stem end. Using metal spatula, transfer pears to plates. Gently press on pears to fan slightly. Spoon some syrup over pears. Spoon mascarpone cream alongside each pear half and serve.

Christmas Dinner 2011

Christmas Dinner Menu (from top left, clockwise)
Twice baked potatoes
Yorkshire pudding
Creamed spinach
Cranberry fruit gel
Rib roast
Asparagus
And for dessert, not pictured, Boston cream pie (recipe to come soon)

One of my favorite holiday recipes of all time is my family's cranberry gel. It has oranges in it, which I love. It tastes so much better than the caned stuff. Just know before you make it, it is more like a jell-o salad almost -it is not a cranberry sauce. But boy is it yummy. My sister preferred the cranberry gel over the from-scratch boston cream pie we had for dessert, actually (though everyone else helped themselves to seconds and even thirds of the boston cream pie).

Harvey Cranberry Gel
1 (6oz) raspberry gelatin mix (or two 3oz)
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cold water
1 can mandarin oranges, drained (or use fresh, sliced/chopped oranges, if you prefer)
1 can (20oz) crushed pineapple, well drained
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

In a large, pretty bowl that you wish to serve your cranberry gel in*, dissolve gelatin in boiling water, then add cold water. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Fold remaining ingredients into chilled gelatin and chill in fridge until firm (2-3 hours).

*you can always prepare this in a large, normal bowl, then pour into a lightly greased mold or 8x11 dish after folding in the remaining ingredients

Apricot Slow Cooker Pork

• After having gone to two Christmas parties two nights in a row that both had AMAZING food, it was pretty hard to figure out how to make a dinner that would at least try to stand up to what I had been eating. I made this roast for friends tonight and I'd say it fit the bill. I served with buttermilk mashed potatoes and green beans, with a homemade vanilla pudding pie for dessert. The combination of sweet pork and apricots, with the thyme added in was very nice to have on a chilly evening. Add hot chocolate and a Christmas movie, as well as a drive around the neighborhood to see the lights on the houses and I am a happy girl.

• Apricot Slow Cooker Pork
  Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Slow Cooking
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste
• 1 boneless pork loin roast, about 2 ½ lb.
• 2 Tbs. canola oil
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3 cups dried apricots
• ½ cup fresh orange juice
• 2 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme
• 2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
• 
  
  On a plate, stir together the flour, the ½ tsp. salt and the ¼ tsp. pepper. Turn the pork in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess.
  
  
  In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the pork and cook, turning frequently, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
  
  
  Pour off all but 1 Tbs. of the fat in the pan. Add the onion and sauté until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Pour in the broth and deglaze the pan, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the pan bottom.
  
  
  Transfer the pork to a slow cooker and pour in the broth mixture. Add the apricots, orange juice and thyme. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours or on low for 4 to 6 hours according to the manufacturer’s instructions until the pork is very tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 140°F.
  
  
  Transfer the pork to a cutting board and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the apricots to a bowl. Using a large, shallow spoon or a ladle, skim as much fat as possible from the surface of the cooking liquid. Strain the juices into a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced and concentrated, about 10 minutes. Stir the mustard into the sauce and add the apricots. Season with salt and pepper.
  
  
  Cut the pork loin across the grain into thin slices and arrange on a warmed platter. Serve immediately with the sauce and apricots. Serves 4 to 6.

Apple Pie for Breakfast

Thoughts this morning:
"Mmmmm, pumpkin pie... I really want that. But it's breakfast, I really should not have pie for breakfast, especially not before a cardio work out and yoga.
Yogurt looks good... but not as good as pumpkin pie...
There are those sauteed apple chunks from last night that I cooked and then decided not to eat, I should use those up... yogurt and apples and pie... Apple pie smoothie!"

Yup, that's how I decided on an apple pie smoothie for breakfast. It was delicious and I have no regrets about skipping the pumpkin pie.

Apple Pie Breakfast
Yield: 1 breakfast =)

2/3 cup Stoney Field vanilla yogurt (I use this kind because it is not sickeningly sweet)
1 apple, peeled, cored, diced and sauteed with water until mushy
2-3 tablespoons apple cider
1/8-1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice, depending on preference

Place all ingredients in a blender on medium or high for about 30 seconds. Enjoy!

Apple Raisin Salad

Not sure what to eat for lunch today? Well, have I got a suggestion for you. Grab a whole wheat pita and fill it to the brim with this delicious salad. I love this salad because there is no added sugar, but it is so sweet! I made this for a dinner at church to rave reviews. It's simple and I almost always have all of the ingredients on-hand.

Apple Raisin Salad
Serves 8

4 chopped apples, skins on, cored
1 1/2 cups raisins
4 celery stalks, sliced
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
Cinnamon to taste, optional

Mix all ingredients together, serve =)

Note: mixing a bit of lemon juice over the apples helps to keep them from browning

Gluten-Free Dinner for a Crowd II

If any of you have gluten-free friends and don't know what to serve them for dinner, I've got you covered. This menu has vegetables, protein, and fun dessert that is perfect for fall. If you want another side, I highly suggest mashed potatoes to mix the chicken into. These dishes will serve roughly 20 people. Also, vanilla ice cream is great with the apple crisp, but I had to keep my meal under $50, so that's the  primary reason why there are no mashed potatoes or ice cream.

If you want to make this for a "normal" gathering, say 4-6 people and not 20, halve the roasted vegetables recipe and quarter the chicken recipe. As for the apple crisp, an 8x4 pan will require 4 apples, 6 tablespoons of margarine and brown sugar, 1/4 cup flour of choice, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of oats.

Roasted Vegetables
 ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

12 medium carrots 1 ½-inch thick circles 

1 ½ cups brussel sprouts (about ½ pound), halved 

6-8 cups red bliss potatoes (about 2 pounds), cut into bite-size cubes

6 medium parsnips (about 2 pounds), cut into 1 ½-inch thick slices 

1 cup sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), cut into 1 ½-inch thick slices 

1 1/2 lbs of green beans, snapped/cut

3-4 tablespoons herbs de provence

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

Grease 2 large baking sheets. Place vegetables in a bowl and add the oil, herbs, salt and pepper. Toss well, evenly coating all the vegetables with the seasonings and oil. Add more oil if the vegetables seem dry 

Spread the vegetables evenly on the large baking sheet. Place on middle rack in oven and bake for 35 to 45 minutes. 

Mom's Rosemary Chicken
2 (40oz) bags of chicken tenders (not breaded, just plain, frozen, raw)
4 large onions, cut into eights
Enough apple juice to cover the chicken or so (1/2 a bottle?)
4 tablespoons of dried rosemary

Divide chicken evenly among two medium crockpots, or place into one extra large crockpot.
Pour apple juice in just enough to leave only a centimeter of chicken showing in each crockpot.
Place onion slices on/around chicken and sprinkle the rosemary on top in each crockpot.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Mom's (Gluten-Free) Apple Crisp
*you can make this regular, non-GF crisp by swapping out GF flour for all purpose flour and the GF oats for regular oats

14 medium apples. I suggest a mixture of gala, golden delicious, and/or granny smith.

3 sticks+3/4 stick margarine, room temperature

2 cups brown sugar

1¼ cup all purpose gluten free flour, or any

2 tablespoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons nutmeg*optional

2 1/2 cups gluten free oats (old fashioned, plain)

Peel and core apples, slice into eighths or however small you like. Divide evenly among two lightly greased 9x13 metal plans.

Mix remaining ingredients together so they are crumbly. Sprinkle on top of apples.

Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes.

Cherry Pork

So this recipe was supposed to go up during cherry week a while back, but I got distracted with going out of town. I brought this pork to a girls' night and served it with couscous and everyone really liked it (the pork was so tender!). However, I didn't have enough time to eat all of the leftovers before going to Florida, so my very smart roomie popped the meat in the freezer.

I am so glad she did! I wasn't completely convinced of this recipe's merit until, after defrosting the meat and sauce, I tried it again with a salad for a side. Man, I am so glad I didn't pass this over. I will definitely be making it again. Maybe the sauce just gets better after a day or so. I know that's how my saffron sauce is (recipe will come in a bit for that).

Anyway, if you are hankering for a new way to use those fresh cherries of the summer, here's a good meal.

Cherry Pork with Rice

Serves 2-3
Adapted from the Seattle Times

*Feel free to double or triple this

1 pork tenderloin, about 1 pound
½ to 1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup pitted Bing cherries (see note)
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch bits
1 cup brown rice, cooked (the sauce tastes so good mixed with the rice!)
Salads for a side

1. Cut the pork tenderloin into medallion-size pieces. Sprinkle the rounds with the salt and pepper.

2. Put the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, and when the oil is hot, cook the pork, turning once, until the surface of each piece is golden brown, about 7 minutes altogether.

3. Use tongs or a fork to transfer the pork to a plate. Toss the cherries in the oil left behind in the pan. Pour the chicken broth and balsamic vinegar over the cherries and turn the heat to high.

4. When the broth has boiled down to about half its original volume and the cherries are tender, about 5 minutes, return the pork to the pan, along with any juices that have collected on the plate.

5. Reheat the pork in the sauce for a minute, then transfer it to serving plates. Swirl the butter into the pan juices and pour some of the sauce over the pork, but save most of the sauce and cherries to pour over the brown rice that you have made to serve as side. Serve pork medallions with the rice with the sauce and a nice salad.

Note: When fresh cherries are out of season, use frozen whole cherries, which are available year-round. If doing so, add them to the boiling sauce after it has halved in volume.

Cherry Short Cakes

I know it sounds un-American, but I don't believe I have ever had a short cake before. I have seen plenty of strawberry shortcakes and, being a nanny and all, heard plenty references to that sweetly named children's cartoon character, but never have I actually had one.

To my surprise, a short cake is simply a biscuit with fruit and whipped cream in the middle. Who knew something so simple would be so irresistible? Or that you could make them with something other than strawberries =P.

Cherry Shortcakes.

Adapted from This Blog

Biscuits:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bow. Cut in butter until butter is the size of small peas.

Add buttermilk and vanilla, mixing until just moistened.

Form dough into ball and place n well-floured surface (or floured pastry cloth, which is my personal preference.) Flatten into a disk about 3/4 or 1 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes, combine scraps and repeat to make more biscuits Place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden.

Cool on wire rack.

Cherries:

1/3 cup sugar or honey (decide based on how sweet or tart your cherries are and preference)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

scant 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 lb of cherries, pitted and stemmed

Mix sweetener of choice, cornstarch, and cinnamon in a saucepan (do not turn on heat yet). Add cherries and then cook over medium-low heat until mixture bubbles and thickens, about half an hour.

Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest and 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice. Set aside to cool.

Assembly:

Either make your own whip cream (whip heavy cream and confectioners sugar to taste until mixture holds soft peaks) or buy some.

Cut biscuits horizontally in half and place bottoms on serving plates. Spoon the cherries over the biscuit bottoms, top with whipped cream, then cover with the biscuit top.

Yum.

Cherry Almond Chicken Salad

My photography skills are pretty limited, but when it comes to chicken salad, they completely disappear. However, if you are looking for a cold salad to spread on a couple pieces of toast for lunch, this is quite yummy and good for you.

I brought this to work yesterday for my lunch and was happy I did -definitely better than another fast-food breakfast burrito and those preserved apple slices.

Oh, and just a fair warning, I am driving home to Florida next week, which means I will be going through Georgia. There might be a pecan or peach week in the near future. Or I might actually control myself for once. We'll see.

Cherry Almond Chicken Salad

2 chicken breasts (6oz each or so), boiled and chopped/shredded
½ cup greek yogurt, or more to preference
⅓ cup tamari almonds, chopped
⅔ cup fresh bing cherries, pitted and stemmed and chopped
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon paprika
1 dash onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Suggested, pieces of whole wheat toast for chicken salad sandwiches

Mix together all ingredients in a bowl. Chill. Spread on bread, if you want a sandwich. Ta Da.

Dark Chocolate Cherry Smoothie

So good, so easy. And pretty dang good for you. Definitely try this for breakfast, a snack, or even dessert.

1/2 cup dark chocolate almond milk
1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt
3/4 cup of fresh cherries, pitted and stemmed

Place all ingredients in a blender for 30 seconds. Enjoy!

*Feel free to adjust the amounts of milk and yogurt, or even add ice, depending on what texture you prefer.

Homemade Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream Goodness

I officially declare the week of July 10, 2011 "Cherry Glut Week."

Whole Foods had organic cherries on sale for 2.99 a pound and I got a little excited. Ok, a lot excited. So excited that I bought7.5 lbs. BUT my roomie made 5 lbs of meatballs Saturday night, so I am not alone in my overzealous excitement about food.

Here is the first chock-full-of-cherries recipe for this week.

At least 3 more to come this week. I am determined not to let a single cherry go to waste.

Have I mentioned my fingers are already stained a very nasty looking color due to all the cherry-pitting that I and anyone who enters my house have been doing?

Bing Cherry Ice Cream

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma

2 cups heavy cream

• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 lb. fresh Bing cherries, pitted and halved
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 3 Tbs. kirsch
• 2 cups chocolate chips (semi sweet)

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream and milk. Heat, stirring occasionally, until steam begins to rise from the surface, about 5 minutes.

In a heatproof bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup of the sugar and the egg yolks until blended. Form a kitchen towel into a ring and place the bowl on top to prevent it from moving. Gradually add the hot cream mixture, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and leaves a clear trail when a finger is drawn through it, 7 to 9 minutes; do not allow the custard to boil.

Pour the custard through a medium-mesh sieve set over a clean bowl and stir in the vanilla. Nestle the bowl in a larger one filled halfway with ice and water and cool the custard to room temperature, stirring occasionally, 30 to 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the cherries and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cherries are soft and have broken down slightly and the liquid has thickened, 8 to 9 minutes. Strain the cherries, reserving the liquid (you should have 1/3 to 1/2 cup liquid). Transfer the cherries to a small bowl and stir in the lemon juice and kirsch. Let the liquid and cherries cool to room temperature.

Remove the custard from the ice water and stir in the reserved liquid. Cover the custard and cherries and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.

Transfer the custard to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions, adding the cherries and the chocolate chips during the last 3 to 4 minutes of churning. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container, cover and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days, before serving. Makes about 5 cups.

Just a hint, you should probably double this recipe (though be mindful of your ice cream makers capacity). If you don't, you will wish you did.

Breakfast Crepes, yum.

These are the perfect breakfast to make on aSunday morning. Mix the batter together when you first get up, then sit and read the paper while you wait for the batter to set in the fridge. When you finish with the paper and your body's hunger has finally woken up, your crepes are ready for the pan and quickly find their way to your stomach =).

Whole Wheat Crepes

Adapted from Southern Living

3 large eggs

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Yogurt and fresh fruit OR nutella and bananas for filling.

• Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Gradually add flour and salt, beating until smooth. Cover and chill 1 hour.
• Coat bottom of a 7-inch nonstick skillet with melted butter; place skillet over medium heat until hot.
• Pour 3 tablespoons batter into skillet; quickly tilt in all directions so batter covers bottom of skillet.
• Cook 1 minute or until crêpe can be shaken loose from skillet. Turn crêpe over, and cook about 30 seconds. Place on a dish towel to cool. Repeat procedure with remaining batter. Stack crêpes between sheets of wax paper.

Place on serving tray, spoon yogurt or nutella onto crepe and top with fruit of choice, then roll/fold to your preference.

Iron Skillet Blackberry Peach Cobbler

I had this wonderful invention for dessert with the salmon and polenta with swiss chard =).

The roomie and I ran out to the grocery store to get vanilla ice cream in between the main course and dessert so that we could have ice cream with it. I mean, cobbler without ice cream is just wrong.

serves 2-3

2 tablespoons butter

1 pint of blackberries

1 pint of sliced (and peeled) peaches

1 1/4 cup white sugar

1 cups flour

1 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/4 stick butter, softened and cut into cubes

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon butter, melted

vanilla ice cream for serving and fresh mint for garnish

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Toss peaches and berries with 1 tablespoon white sugar.

Heat a large cast iron skillet (I’m sure an oven-safe skillet would be okay too, it just needs to be large) over medium heat. Wait for 5 minutes until the entire skillet is hot, then add 1 tablespoon butter. Add peaches and berries and cook for 5-6 minutes to soften.

While peaches and berries are cooking, combine flour, baking soda and powder, salt and 2 teaspoons brown sugar in a bowl and mix. Add in cubed butter and mix with a fork or your fingers pr pastry blender until the butter is in smaller crumbles and strewn throughout the mix. Make a well in the center and pour in buttermilk. Add vanilla extract and stir until mixture comes together.

Turn off heat under peaches and berries. Spoon globs of dough on top of the peaches and berries, scattering them all around. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and drizzle over top of dough. Sprinkle remaining brown sugar on top. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then turn down heat to 375 and bake for 15 minutes more. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Peach Mint Breakfast Shake

Yes, this shake is in a coffee mug thing because I have yet to buy real glasses. However, despite the fact that I don't have real glasses, I do have white and red and champagne glasses, in addition to 3 nalgene water bottles.

I went to the farmers' market after the early church service this morning and was inspired by all of the peaches and the overabundance of mint in my herb garden, so I made this for my roomie and me when I got home. I also picked up some organic, locally grown chicken thighs that she and I will find something to do with, even with our partially-destroyed kitchen (leaking pipes have rotted the wall where the stove and oven are hooked up).

Peach Mint Breakfast Shake

Serves 2 (not terribly hungry) people

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

1/2 cup milk

2 peaches, pitted and sliced/chopped

2 sprigs of fresh spearmint leaves, chopped

Mix all ingredients together in a blender, enjoy!

Hint: I think a little bit of lime juice and maybe some ginger and/or coconut would be delicious in this. Or, instead of vanilla yogurt, substitute chocolate chip mint ice cream!

Blue Steel Muffins (Zoolander, anyone?)

Are you craving a muffin like the ones they sell at bakeries, but fearful of the 500 calorie and sugar-crash price tag? Well, fear not, my friend, for I have the solution. These wonderful muffins are big enough to hold you through the morning madness (of course, I suggest adding a cup of yogurt on the side for added calcium and protein) while providing you with steel-cut oats, whole wheat flour, and a bit of fruit for some long-lasting energy.

I found this recipe on NYTimes.com, which, I am sad to say, will soon be locked behind a price wall. However, for the time being, I am scouring the paper's online recipe index as much as I can before it costs money to do so. Maybe "investing" in the Sunday-only subscription would be nice, since it's also a source for news -the international page is my homepage, after-all.

Blue Steel Muffins

(the name for these comes from the blueberries and steel-cut oats, but also my nostalgia for that stupid movie, Zoolander)

Adapted from the NYTimes

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 1/3 cups buttermilk

(or put 1 T and 1 t lemon juice in a measuring cup, then fill to 1 1/3 cup line with low-fat milk)

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup COOKED steel-cut oats

(you will break your teeth and have to go to the dentist if you use un-cooked)

1 cup blueberries tossed with 1 teaspoon flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees with the rack positioned in the upper third. Oil, spray or butter 12 muffin cups, or use paper or silicone liners.

Sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, beat together the eggs, buttermilk (or milk and lemon juice), canola oil, maple syrup and vanilla. Quickly stir in the dry ingredients with a whisk or a spatula. Do not beat, just mix, stirring up from the bottom until you can no longer see flour. A few lumps are fine. Fold in the cooked oats and the blueberries.

Spoon into muffin cups, filling them to just below the top. Place in the oven, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until nicely browned. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool for 10 minutes before unmolding.

Cool on a rack, or serve warm.

The little beauties, fresh out of the oven.

Note: although these are not sweet like cupcakes, they still have a natural sweetness to them from the blueberries and maple syrup. If you really, really have a hankering for a sweet muffin, I suggest adding 1/4 cup of sugar with the dry ingredients.

Blueberry Banana Wake Up.

Ever since I tried making a smoothie with banana, blueberries, milk, coconut, lime juice, and ginger, I've been trying to figure out how I can put those ingredients into pretty much everything. My answer to my blue-banana-coconut-ginger-lime craving this morning was oatmeal. Mmmmm. There's pretty much only good things in this! Calcium to fight osteoporosis, complex carbohydrates for energy, blueberries for antioxidants, banana and coconut for yumminess, lime and ginger for some help waking up.

There were Pillsbury cinnamon rolls in the oven for the kids when I started work today (which, incidentally, taste nothing like cinnamon rolls to me, but are tasty anyway, especially when topped with homemade orange-mascarpone icing), so I was pretty glad to have something that would keep me full and satisfied a tad longer than cinnamon rolls, in addition to being yummy enough to distract me from the oh-so addictive cinnamon roll icing. Ok, so I did give in and lick the spoon after icing the little boy's roll, big deal =).

Blueberry Banana Oatmeal for One

1/3 cup rolled oats

2/3 cup milk

1/2 frozen banana, defrosted/mashed

1/4 cup fresh blueberries

1 tablespoon coconut (unsweetened, shredded)

1/8 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon of lime juice, optional

Mix together in 2-cup microwave-safe bowl, microwave on high for 2 minutes. Let cool and thicken for 5-10 minutes. Enjoy!

Clafouti

On a lazy Saturday afternoon, as I was folding laundry and thinking about other boring household chores and such, there was a knock on my door and and a little girl's voice asking if I was going to make anything that evening. By "make anything," she meant if I were going to bake or cook. I hadn't planned on it, but then I remembered this simple clafouti recipe just waiting to be tried.

*fyi, I live with the family for which I babysit, which explains why a little girl was knocking on my bedroom door*

The first time I heard about clafouti was in a McCormick cook book that, in my opinion, is not a very good cook book for recipes, but it gave me a lot of ideas and helped me with the basics. Since I had never had clafouti and did not trust the recipe in my book, I looked online for a simple recipe that I could use.

I found out that a clafouti is somewhere between a cake and a custard, reminds people of French toast, and can have pretty much include any kind of fruit you want. It reminded me of an easy cobbler. So yeah, cake, custard, French toast, cobbler. How can you go wrong? I am pretty sure you could eat it as a yummy breakfast, as well as a dessert.

I decided upon Alton Brown's recipe for a dutch oven, but I used a souffle dish. The first time I made it, it came out well, but I am a big fan of the custard-y, cake-like stuff, so the next time I made it, I halved the amount of fruit in it. I served it with organic, vanilla yogurt. Below is the recipe for the second time:

Ingredients

6 ounces fresh or frozen cherries, strawberries or blueberries (I used blueberries).

Perhaps try apples baked with brown sugar,

peaches, or even apricots or pears (canned or fresh)

2 large eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Add cinnamon and/or nutmeg?

2-3 tablespoons butter, for the dish

Directions

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F

Butter the bottom and sides of your dish. If using fresh fruit, rinse, stem and pit the. If using frozen, place the fruit into a colander and allow to thaw completely before using. Discard the juice. Spread the fruit evenly over the bottom of the Dutch oven.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until frothy and lightened in color. Add the milk, vanilla and flour and whisk to combine. Pour the batter over the cherries.

Bake on the middle rack, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until golden on top and a knife comes out clean when inserted into the middle.

Allow to cool for 15 minutes before removing from the Dutch oven, slicing and serving.

Dutch Apple Pancake for One

Due to the fact that I woke up late and decided to work out in the morning today, I didn't have breakfast until 1:30pm. That means it is now 3:30pm and I am ready for a light lunch. An apple pancake sounds perfect on this cold and overcast Sunday afternoon. It is still in oven as I write this, but it is puffing up perfectly. I will add a picture when it take it out, then I will proceed to read The Journey of Desire by John Eldredge in my over-sized armchair/rocking chair. I might fall asleep though, so coffee might be in my immediate future too.

Before baking

After baking =)

Dutch Apple Pancake for One. Adapted from William-Sonoma.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 apple

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1/4 flour

1 tablespoon wheat germ*completely optional, can be substituted for oat bran or milled flax seed

Dash of salt

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 400F.

In a small fry pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the apple, cinnamon and granulated sugar and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the apple begins to soften and brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Set aside.

In a bowl, using a whisk, beat the egg. Add the milk and whisk until blended. Sift the flour, wheat germ, and salt into the egg mixture and whisk until just blended.

Place the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in a small cast iron skillet or oven-proof fry pan and place in the oven until melted (my oven was still pre-heating at this point). Once butter is melted, take pan out and whisk the egg mixture into the pan. Arrange the apple slices evenly on top. {Place back into the oven and bake until the pancake is browned and puffed up, 15 to 20 minutes (mine only took 15, but my oven cooks everything faster than any other oven I have seen). Dust with confectioners sugar or drizzle with agave nectar and serve immediately.

All ready to eat =)