Category: Brunch

Pumpkin Banana Bread

I’m officially done with my baby food stash. I had 3 jars of bananas left, and although they are my son’s favorite, he has long since graduated to the real thing. I’m not one to throw anything away, so I concocted this delicious recipe for pumpkin banana bread. It’s the first time I’ve experimented with baking, and I’m so proud of how it turned out.

When it comes to breads, cakes and cookies, I always have to follow a recipe, with only minor adjustments. I’m sure there is some kind of science behind baking that teaches you the proper flour:sugar:egg ratio, but I’ve never learned it. As much as baking is not my “thing”, finding a use for leftover ingredients, is. So I set my lack of baking skills aside and just went for it. I’m thinking I should probably do it more often. The results were outstanding!

 

Pumpkin Banana Bread

4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup LIBBYS® 100% Pure Pumpkin
3 large eggs
1/3 cup milk
1 cup granulated sugar
3 6 oz. jars of banana puree or 2 cups mashed bananas
3/4 cup melted butter or oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients, including flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In a second bowl, combine the wet ingredients, including pumpkin, eggs, milk, sugar, bananas and butter. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until incorporated. Pour batter into medium-sized loaf pans and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

1 year ago: quick & easy chocolate rugelach

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My Ultimate Guilt-Free Breakfast

Most of the time, I’m lucky if I can down a yogurt before heading out in the morning. There are no pots and pans on the agenda. But every once in a while, I like to sit down to a plated breakfast. On Sundays, I usually make a double portion of pancakes for the kiddies and freeze half. For my husband and I, I whip together a quick pan of shakshuka. If it’s just me, and I’ve got the time, I’ll throw together this delicious and nutritious dish. I toast an Ezekiel english muffin, so that it’s good and crunchy. Then, I mash some buttery avocado with lemon and salt, and finally, I poach a humble egg to perfection to top it all off. You’ve never tasted something so simple, yet satisfying.

There’s nothing better than a silky egg yolk on crusty bread. Follow my step by step instructions for the perfect poached eggs, here. It may take a little practice, but luckily, eggs and water are quite cheap these days :) The results are more than worth it!

1 year ago: low carb portobello pizza

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Cheesy Stuffed Mini Peppers


At one of our Chanukah parties recently (was Chanukah really that recent? It feels like ages ago!), my sister in-law decided to bring over some food for the low-carb dieters at the party. I was really intrigued by her idea of making stuffed shells without the pasta. Mini peppers stand in as a great replacement, adding color and sweetness to the dish. I decided to whip up my own variation by peppering up (pun intended!) a version of my mom’s famous lasagna recipe. Truth be told – I still made some stuffed shells for my pasta-loving kids, but I was more than satisfied with my lighter and lower-carb variation.

Cheesy Stuffed Mini Peppers

1 15 oz. container ricotta or reduced fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper, to taste
1 10 oz. box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove water
1 bag sweet mini peppers
1 jar marinara sauce
1 8 oz. bag shredded mozzarella cheese

Method:

Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl, mix cheeses, egg, spices and 1/2 of the spinach. Pour half of the marinara sauce into a 9×13 pan. Dot with remaining spinach. Cut the tops off the mini peppers and remove the veins and seeds. Fill with cheese mixture and place in the pan on top of the marinara sauce. Pour remaining 1/2 jar of sauce over the peppers and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes, or until peppers begin to soften. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until the cheese is browned and crisped around the edges.

VARIATION: For traditional stuffed shells, use large shell pasta in place of the mini peppers.

1 year ago: spinach pasta

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Cheese Latkes with Raspberry Sauce

If you follow my blog, you know that I’m not much of a baker. You also know that I’m working hard to stick to my diet plan. Which might explain why I’m not about to post a recipe for delicious, chewy, deep-fried jelly donuts or crunchy golden potato latkes. Instead, I decided to whip up a sort of deconstructed jelly donut in the form of cheese latkes with raspberry sauce. These fun mini cottage cheese pancakes are reminiscent of the classic chanukah treat with just a few less calories. Fry them up nice and golden, dust with powdered sugar, and don’t forget the whip cream!

Cheese Latkes
adapted from the Spice & Spirit Cookbook

3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 8 oz. container ricotta or cottage cheese (drain, if needed)
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
canola oil, butter, for frying

Method:

Mix all ingredients besides for oil until smooth. Heat up a skillet and grease with butter or oil. Add batter 1 tbsp at a time and fry until golden on both sides. Continue with remaining batter, adding additional oil or butter, as needed.

Serve with raspberry sauce, whip cream and a side of maple syrup.

Raspberry Sauce

1 bag frozen raspberries
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp water or raspberry liquor
1 tsp lemon zest

Method:

Add all ingredients to a pot and simmer over medium heat until raspberries are soft and fall apart when mashed with a spoon, about 10 minutes. Add to a blender and puree. Pour the raspberry mixture through a cheesecloth and squeeze out juice. Chill. Serve over pancakes or ice cream.

Alternatively, pipe some raspberry jam in the center of the latkes and dust with powdered sugar to resemble jelly donuts!

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Sea Bass en Papillote

En Papillote is French for “in parchment.” It is a popular method of baking fish by steaming it inside a folded pouch. Since the fish cooks in its own juices, all the flavors are concentrated, resulting in a light and tasty product. Typically, parchment paper is used to seal in the moisture, but foil can also work.

Classic en papillote preparation is done by folding the parchment paper over the fish and then sealing the edges by folding the parchment tightly all around. An assortment of vegetables is usually added, along with citrus and fresh herbs. You can experiment with different types of fish (whole or fileted) and veggies to suit your taste.

Sea Bass en Papillote

1 filet of sea bass (or any white fish)
1 bunch fresh dill
1 lemon
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
extra virgin olive oil
dry white wine
salt and pepper
parchment paper

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut a rectangular piece of parchment paper and fold it along the center. Rinse sea bass and pat dry. Place fish on one side of the parchment and season with salt and pepper. Top with fresh dill and lemon slices. Place red pepper slices closely around the fish. Drizzle peppers and fish with olive oil and a splash of wine and finish with a touch of salt and pepper. Fold the parchment over the fish and starting from either corner, begin sealing the pouch by twisting or folding the parchment all around. Place the pouch inside a pan and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for several minutes. Open the parchment (careful of the hot steam) and serve!

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